Remoras Inspire New Adhesive

Feb-24-13 Remora fish, those shark-riding hitchhikers, have inspired a new sort of adhesive that could be used to create pain-free bandages and replace surgical clamps.

Researchers at Georgia Tech are studying the fish, which are able to attach themselves to their hosts’ rough skin without harming the skin in the process. The fish attach to the shark via their dorsal fin, which has evolved into a flattened, disk-like pad surrounded by a fleshy lip that creates the seal between the remora and its hosts. Within the lip, rows of plate-like structures hold an array of ‘teeth’ called spinules, and this complex arrangement allows the remora to attach firmly to a range of surfaces, including sharks, whales and boats.

During their research, the team learned that the remoras use a passive form of adhesion, and that the drag of the water could even strengthen the bond. According to one of the lead scientists, Jason Nadler, while not intending to precisely copy the remora adhesion structure, they hope to “… identify, characterize and harness its critical features to design and test attachment systems that enable those unique adhesive functions.”

Image: Gary Meek/Georgia Tech
3-D rapid prototypes of the remora's adhesive structures

More Info about this Invention:

[PHYS.ORG]
[GEORGIA TECH]

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