"Founder Dr. Capella Kerst revealed four new uses of geCKo's super-strong dry adhesive: a semiconductor wafer handling tool, a robotic gripper for smooth surfaces (like solar panels or glass), a curved robotic "end effector" for more irregular shapes, and an all-purpose gripper for robotic arms. The geCKo tech is inspired by the way real-life lizards use their feet to grip surfaces."
"Kerst positions it like a new form of Velcro, but one that leaves no residue, can quickly attach and detach, and requires no electrical charge or suction. A one-inch tile of the material can hold 16 pounds, and the geCKo dry adhesive can attach as many as 120,000 times - and can stay attached for seconds, minutes, or years. The ability to quickly adapt the dry adhesive to existing manufacturing, picking, and other robotic applications has proven popular."
"Kerst's company won over Ford, NASA, and Pacific Gas & Electric as customers before she even competed on last year's Battlefield stage. The geCKo CEO said her company has tripled the size of her team since last year's show and completed an $8 million fundraise. And geCKo's dry adhesive was used on six space missions in the last year - a testament to the material's ability to work in multiple environments, including a vacuum, according to Kerst."
geCKo unveiled four commercial products using its gecko-inspired dry adhesive: a wafer handling tool, a gripper for smooth surfaces, a curved end effector, and an all-purpose robotic gripper. The adhesive provides residue-free, rapid attach/detach performance without electrical charge or suction. A one-inch tile can hold 16 pounds, endure up to 120,000 cycles, and remain attached for seconds to years. The material adapts to manufacturing and picking workflows and has customers including Ford, NASA, and Pacific Gas & Electric. The company expanded its team, raised $8 million, and the adhesive flew on six space missions, demonstrating vacuum capability.
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