Geico Advertising Icon Has Inspired the Invention of a Waterproof Bandage

In the past few years, geckos have entered into our households only by means of an advertising icon for the insurance company Geico, but who would have thought that this same little creature would have been used as an inspiration for scientists to develop a waterproof bandage.

The toes of the gecko adhere to a wide variety of surfaces, without the use of liquids or any surface tension. And now U.S. researchers have used this same theory and have applied it to make a waterproof bandage which was inspired by the sticky surface of a gecko's paws.

According to Medscape this waterproof bandage was invented by Robert Langer, a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and colleague Jeff Karp of Harvard Medical School. They used computer technology to sculpt extremely tiny hills and valleys on the surface of the bandage to grip the underlying tissue, improving its adhesion. To make it sticky on wet surfaces, they added a thin layer of a sugar based glue to the tape. And with other properties to make it biodegradable means that it could be left inside the body. In tests on samples of pig intestines, the glue was twice as strong as adhesives.

The uses of this gecko inspired bandage include many, such as prevention of leakage in gastric bypass surgeries, it can be used to supplement sutures or staples, and also for sealing wounds. The bandage can be used in all wet environments, such as in the heart, bladder or lungs. This is another great advancement in the world of medicine today.

Isn't it great that there is a useful invention from that little Geico advertising creature, other than making us wonder, "What is the purpose of that gross, but yet cute looking lizard on television?"

Resources:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/570407?src=mp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gecko