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
You've seen biomimicry in use, even if you've never heard of it.
That stuff you used to tie your shoes with as a kid, Velcro, was inspired by clinging burrs.
All around the world, scientists and designers are coming up with solutions based on nature. This year, the Ford Motor Company is participating in a new corporate-employee challenge from The Biomimicry Institute.
They hope to create new cabin materials based on the foot of a gecko.
The problem: current adhesives make certain cabin materials impossible to break apart, preventing recycling.
The solution: the gecko can cling firmly to any surface, but can be easily peeled off again, leaving no residue. This technology would allow foam to be adhered to, and eventually separated from, plastics and metals so they can be recycled.
Ford is hard at work mimicking the gecko's methods. Hopefully we'll see these new, nature-inspired materials in Duval Ford's new inventory soon!