Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley continue to edge closer to producing a synthetic adhesive that will be able to replicate the tiny hairs found on the toes of the gravity defying gecko lizard.

Earlier this year, Ron Fearing and his research team developed a gecko-inspired adhesive using polymer microfibers that could easily attach to and detach from clean surfaces, such as a glass plate. The drawback was that when the microfibers encountered dirt particles on the glass, much of the stickiness was lost. Their latest breakthrough is a step to overcoming this problem, and is the first synthetic adhesive that is able to clean itself after each use, without the need for chemical or water cleansers.

"It brings us closer to being able to build truly all-terrain robots, which will in the future be able to scamper up walls and across ceilings in everyday environments rather than only on clean glass," said Fearing. "We can envision robots being able to go anywhere they are needed, perhaps in the search for survivors after a disaster."

The adhesive's development is reported online today (Wednesday, Sept. 10) in Langmuir, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Chemical Society that covers a wide range of topics, including surface properties, nanostructures and biomimetic materials.

Read more from the EurekaAlert.