Below are links to videos of the presentation.

Part I

Part II

Part III – including Q&A

Thank you for watching!

This next video isn’t the most exciting, but it demonstrates one of the important features of gecko setae. When the geckos are climbing, they only use around 10% of their setae to stick to the wall. This is important, because when they jump from leaf to leaf, or they begin to fall, they can catch themselves by increasing the force that they exert against the surface. This is one of the main hurdle for Dr. Pesika; if humans are going to use this material to climb walls, there needs to be this “safety factor” that will enable them to reattached to the wall if they begin to fall.

Gecko Falling

In this video, the reason the Gecko was having trouble sticking is that the gecko setae are made out of β-keratin, the material that makes up human hair and finger nails. They occasionally shed this layer of skin and rejuvenate their adhesive abilities.

And just for fun, here is a gecko climbing around.