Adhesion performance of magnetically responsive surfaces under wet conditions.

Adhesion is the key functionality to pick-and-place objects in wet environments. Recently, various micropillars and external stimuli have been proposed to achieve reversible wet adhesion. However, their underlying mechanisms of liquid/solid regulations have not been sufficiently revealed.

Response mechanisms of snails to the pulling force and its potential application in vacuum suction.

Snails offer successful attachment and locomotion on horizontal and vertical surfaces, and have inspired extensive research to develop artificial adhesives. Here, we experimentally investigate the response mechanisms of snails to mechanical signals (pull-off force and crawling angle), then propose a way to design a bioinspired sucker, and theoretically analysis its application in vacuum suction. The experimental results indicate that the pull-off force is 7 N, about 22 times of its weight, and relatively invariant across the angles of the substrate.