Living Tokay Geckos Display Adhesion Times Following Weibull Statistics

Authors: Pugno, Nicola; Lepore, Emiliano

Source: Journal of Adhesion, Volume 84, Number 11, November 2008 , pp. 949-962(14)

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Abstract:

In this paper we demonstrate that living tokay geckos (Gekko geckos) display adhesion times following Weibull Statistics. We have considered two different geckos, male or female, adhering on different surfaces, glass, or Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with different roughness. We have performed detailed surface topography characterizations by means of a three-dimensional optical profilometer. The analysis suggests the existence of a “weakest link” in the gecko adhesion and is able to quantify its degree of brittleness in different systems.

Keywords: Adhesion time; Living gecko; Optical profilometer; Surface roughness; Three-dimensional characterization; Weibull statistics

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00218460802505374

Affiliations: 1: Department of Structural Engineering and Geothecnics, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy

Publication date: 2008-11-01