Can Geckskin really hold 700Lbs?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the material Geckskin and its claimed ability to hold 700 lbs. Participants explore the properties of the material, its applications, and the validity of the claims made about its strength. The conversation includes technical reasoning and questions about the material's mechanisms and practical implications.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether Geckskin can indeed hold 700 lbs, prompting further exploration of its properties.
  • Another participant suggests that any material could theoretically hold 700 lbs if sufficiently large, implying a need for context regarding the size of the material used.
  • A link to the Geckskin website is provided, but some participants express skepticism about the lack of detailed information on how the material functions.
  • Concerns are raised about the specific pressure exerted by a piece of Geckskin, with calculations suggesting that a 3"x5" piece would exert about 47 psi, which some participants find reasonable compared to suction cups.
  • There is a repeated mention of the Geckskin website, indicating interest in the material but also questioning the lack of recent developments or activity related to it.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying levels of skepticism and curiosity about the claims regarding Geckskin's strength. There is no consensus on the material's capabilities or the validity of the claims made about it.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the potential limitations in understanding the material's properties due to a lack of detailed information and the need for clarity on the size and conditions under which the 700 lbs claim is made.

jetsfan83
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Can this Gecksin material hold the 700lbs?
 
Engineering news on Phys.org
Synthetic Gecko skin? Did you have a link?
Anything can hold 700lb if you have enough of it.
 
They say that an index card size piece can hold 700lb. If they mean a 3"x5" card, that's only about 47psi, which seems reasonable for this sort of thing. It's a few times better than suction cups, which are limited by local atmospheric pressure.
 
aerohead_18 said:
https://geckskin.umass.edu/

Interesting stuff, but there doesn't seem to be much out there about how exactly it works.
Yeah, if it's so great, why hasn't there been more activity in the last couple of years since that was posted?
 

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