The new technology will work like Miles Morales’s spider web in the Spiderverse movie, once it’s developed enough to be used by scientists.
What would the world look like if this technology became popular?
If hovercrafts are ever created, they could be parked on the sides of buildings.
On a simple level, mounting pictures at home would be a breeze.
Climbing the sides of buildings could become the norm.
Free-floating staircases could spiral the interiors of buildings.
Now, where does the story come in?
Well, in a nutshell, NASA’s copy works by using millions of ultrathin hairs to create more surface area which attaches to any surface. If there’s an entire society built upon this technology, what if there was a way to makes the hairs vibrate, causing their stickiness to disappear? It would be a noise bomb. If the gecko technology is common enough, all of society could be held at ransom.
It would be really interesting if a young man found out he had the ability to vibrate the adhesive properties away. Like a mutant. Then the story could deal with his own trouble coming to terms with the power. Like a reverse Spider-man.
The copying of nature to produce new technology isn’t fiction. NASA scientists have created the gecko gripper because gecko feet are known for their extreme stickiness, allowing the lizard to traverse walls in any orientation. So far, the device has been able to lift up to fourteen pounds. Not only is it strong, but it’s also resistant to radiation, giving hope it could be used on spacewalks in the future.
