The sticky toe pads of tree frogs and crickets have inspired Indian researchers to create an adhesive tape that is both strong and reusable.
Dr Animangsu Ghatak, an assistant professor at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur and colleagues report their findings in the journal Science.
When conventional sticky tape is ripped off a surface, cracks form on the tape, which also picks up dust and other particles and quickly loses its stickiness.
"Sticky tape gets contaminated with dust and you only use it once or twice. But lizards and toads use their toes all the time," says Ghatak.
"They don't get contaminated and they create very strong adhesion. We are trying to mimic that by creating this material."
Ghatak and colleagues say the sticky toe pads of tree frogs contain "microscopic channel patterns" that stop cracks from forming.
"Toe pads have patterns on the surface," says Ghatak. "Underneath these patterns, there are fluid vessels, glands and blood vessels."
Following this lead, the researchers made an adhesive tape by running air- or oil-filled microchannels through a soft, elastic material.
They found this made the material much more sticky than conventional adhesive.
"Because of the capillary pressure, the adhesion stress increased by 30 times," says Ghatak.
 The team hopes to use their technology for reusable adhesive devices and for attaching stickers.
”One application is for stickers on utensils, fruit, where you want to remove them cleanly, you don't want the adhesive to remain on them, which is annoying," says Ghatak.