Scientists Discover Formula for Spider-man Suit

Climbing up a tall skyscraper, Spider-man-style, may soon be a thing of reality thanks to some physicists at the Polytechnic of Turin, Italy.

A recent press release of The Institute of Physics revealed that some physicists may have found a formula for a Spiderman suit. According to the article, scientists have just recently understood how spiders and geckos can scuttle up a wall or hang from ceilings but scientists doubt that humans could ever use this natural form of adhesion since it wouldn't be strong enough to hold an average human's weight.

The Institute of Physics revealed that what causes the natural adhesion of spiders and other wall-creeping animals is actually called van der Waals forces. Van der Waals forces, according to the article, is the weak attraction that molecules have when they are brought very close together. On spiders, it is the tiny hairs on their feet that attract to the molecules of surfaces.

The discovery of the van der Waals forces has been taken one step further by Professor Nicola Pugno, engineer and physicist at Polytechnic of Turin, Italy. Pugno has formulated a hierarchy of adhesive forces that can be strong enough to suspend a person's bodyweight against a wall or ceiling and can also be easily detached.

The Press release stated that to create a microscopic Velcro, nano-molecular hooks and loops could be used together with van der Waals forces and capillary adhesion. Carbon nanotube-based technology could be used in order to develop this detachable, adhesive force.