Shear-sensitive adhesion enables size-independent adhesive performance in stick insects.

ABSTRACT: The ability to climb with adhesive pads conveys significant advantages and is widespread in the animal kingdom. The physics of adhesion predict that attachment is more challenging for large animals, whereas detachment is harder for small animals, due to the difference in surface-to-volume ratios. Here, we use stick insects to show that this problem is solved at both ends of the scale by linking adhesion to the applied shear force. Adhesive forces of individual insect pads, measured with perpendicular pull-offs, increased approximately in proportion to a linear pad dimension across instars. In sharp contrast, whole-body force measurements suggested area scaling of adhesion. This discrepancy is explained by the presence of shear forces during whole-body measurements, as confirmed in experime

SUBMITTER: Labonte D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6834048 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature