Like Spider Man, You Too May Be Able to Do Whatever a Spider Can

Those who want the powers of Marvel Comic's books web-slinging hero Spider-Man may not have to wait to be bit by a dangerous radioactive spider to achieve their goal. Not to mention that radio active spiders capable of bestowing super powers upon the average human being are in notoriously short supply.

The findings of a study conducted on spiders and geckos and published in the Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter. Tiny hairs on the limbs of both spiders and geckos allow them to "stick" to walls and other surfaces. The ability of the animals to scale walls like the web slinger is related to a hierarchical structure of hairs and a molecular interaction known as the Van der Waals force. The Van Der Waals force is named after the Dutch physicist who came up with an equation to measure the attractive and repulsive forces between molecules.

Scientists hope to apply these findings in order to make a suit that will enable human beings to mimic the action of the gecko or the spider. The major problem is that the larger the surface area that needs to be covered with hairs that mimic the hairs on the feet of a gecko, the less adhesive force produced.

One of the scientist working on the theoretical "Spider Man" suit suggests that artificial nanotubes be used in place of the real hairs of the gecko. The suit has not yet been produced, but scientists know what properties it must have in order for it to be effective. First, the suit has to have the required amount of adhesiveness, second the suit must detach itself easily once it is stuck to a surface, and thirst, the suit must be self-cleaning to a certain degree. The problem will be getting these design elements, which in some cases are conflicting to work well enough together.

Since it seems the Spider Man suit will likely be many more years in the development and the making, perhaps those seeking super powers will have to rely on other, more reliable sources like finding alien rings, being born on a distant planet, or just encouraging genetic mutations. Being the web-slinger may not be an option yet, but you can always hope to become the Green Lantern, Wolverine, the Mandarin, Storm or Professor X. If the suit does get developed, the only downside might be muscle fatigue caused by clinging to the side of a wall for a few hours.

Sources:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6967474.stm

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