Spiders make best ever Post-it notes

“We found out that when all 600,000 tips are in contact with an underlying surface the spider can produce an adhesive force of 170 times its own weight. That’s like Spiderman clinging to the flat surface of a window on a building by his fingertips and toes only, whilst rescuing 170 adults who are hanging on to his back!”

What makes the van der Waals force an interesting form of adhesion is that, unlike many glues, the surrounding environment does not affect it. The only thing that affects it is the distance between the two objects.

“One possible application of our research would be to develop Post-it® notes based on the van der Waals force, which would stick even if they got wet or greasy,” said Professor Antonia Kesel, head of the research group in Bremen. “You could also imagine astronauts using spacesuits that help them stick to the walls of a spacecraft - just like a spider on the ceiling.”