Hybrid Gecko-Inspired Adhesives for Space Debris Capture

For 2026, we won a funding by the Bavarian Californian Technology Center (BaCaTec). The funding aims to support the research exchange of young researchers between Bavarian and Californian Institutions.

The grant supports a collaborative research initiative between our team and the Biomimetics & Dexterous Manipulation Laboratory (BDML), led by Prof. Mark Cutkosky at Stanford University, California, USA. BDML is internationally recognized for its pioneering research in bio-inspired robotics, advanced manipulation, and gecko-inspired directional dry adhesive technologies. As part of this initiative, one researcher from our team and one researcher from BDML will participate in a reciprocal research exchange to strengthen the collaboration and develop a joint project on dry adhesive technologies for space applications.

The collaboration focuses on gecko-inspired dry adhesive materials and their potential for future in-space handling, manipulation, and docking applications. While both teams work on bio-inspired adhesive technologies, they specialize in fundamentally different yet complementary adhesion principles.

SISAT develops mushroom-shaped, anisotropic microstructured adhesives that are activated by applying a normal preload to establish intimate surface contact. Once engaged, these structures provide high adhesion while requiring only minimal shear loading and can be detached through controlled normal separation. In contrast, BDML specializes in directional dry adhesives, whose microstructures generate strong adhesion only when a tangential shear load is applied and maintained. These adhesives exhibit highly controllable attachment and detachment characteristics and are particularly well suited for applications involving controlled sliding and directional load transfer.

The complementary nature of these two adhesion concepts provides a unique opportunity to combine their respective strengths while mitigating their individual limitations. The project therefore aims to establish a comprehensive understanding of both technologies, identify application scenarios in which hybrid adhesion concepts could outperform existing solutions, and develop a joint research proposal investigating their combined use.

A particular emphasis will be placed on the suitability of these adhesive technologies for space environments. This includes investigating their performance under representative environmental conditions, such as vacuum and low-temperature operation, where changes in material properties and contact behavior may significantly influence adhesion performance. In addition, the collaboration will address the contact dynamics of gecko-inspired adhesives under realistic interaction scenarios, including engagement, load transfer, detachment, and dynamic contact events that are relevant for robotic manipulation and autonomous servicing missions in space.

By combining complementary expertise in adhesive material design, contact mechanics, and space applications, the collaboration aims to establish the scientific foundation for next-generation gecko-inspired adhesive systems that exploit the advantages of both adhesion principles while meeting the unique requirements of future space missions.