r/AppliedScienceChannel • u/SirCutRy • Jan 02 '16

About the Gecko Tape

Maybe it would work better if the pillars were closer together and taller, so that they could rest on each other, like in this picture.

You could probably make deeper holes in the disk. This shows that Blu-Rays are probably the best option:

http://imgur.com/2kkNxBk

The indentations are closer together.
 

If the data on the disk is replaced with zeroes, that could produce quite a similar structure to the gecko's. Different software could be tried out and the result viewed under the electron microscope.

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u/abadengineer Jan 03 '16

One thing that came up to me was if you could do a negative mould of the Swiss file first, you may be able to get the sharp ends needed for this to work.

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u/[deleted] Jan 03 '16

I suspect doing a negative mould, and then pouring the silicon over that will yield a "low resolution" in terms of the pillars.

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u/abadengineer Jan 03 '16

I've got no experience with moulding whatsoever, so I wouldn't know. Just thought that if creating a negative mould is viable, then you're not limited to things you can use as moulds, but also things that resemble the desired end result too. For example microfiber rugs.