It’s a sticky subject, but this gecko may play a surprising part in #Ford’s future. https://t.co/iPM13bamck pic.twitter.com/r6pPli9BNh
— Ford Drive Green (@FordDriveGreen) November 16, 2015
We all need a little inspiration sometimes, and sometimes that inspiration can come from the most unlikely of places.
For instance, who would have guessed that to improve recycling, Ford Motor Company would be researching lizard feet?
Not just any lizard, either. Unlike many lizards that use their claws to grasp rough rocks or tree bark to climb, geckos can scale a perfectly smooth surface.
They don't use grasping talons, they use microscopic hairs. In fact, their pads are coated with hundreds of thousands of these too-small-for-the-naked-eye filaments.
Ford is hoping to create a material that works like gecko feet to replace some of their current adhesives used in vehicle cabins. The ability to separate parts easily, without a sticky residue left behind, would dramatically increase the number of parts in a new Ford vehicle that could be reused or recycled.
Learn more about Ford's sustainability practices at Bob Thomas Ford Lincoln North, and schedule a test drive with us.