Now Lizard will Help Ford Build Cars

MANILA: The auto industry has always looked for inspirations that can help it to improve. Auto history is filled with such instances where a carmaker has taken an inspiration from an unconventional object, and surprisingly, things have worked in their favour. Once again an automobile maker is going to get helped by a Lizard. Yes, nature is once again at the rescue at times where its conservation is a must.

Gecko are lizards belonging to the infra-order Gekkota and are found in warm climatic conditions throughout the world. Now, the question is how this small creature can help the American auto giant, Ford? Gecko is blessed with a natural adhesive present at its toes that help it acquire a strong grip over varied surfaces without the use of liquids or surface tension. As a matter of fact, the 70g Gecko can support up to 133 kg of weight. Over the years, with the help of Biomimetic technologies, many have tried to mimic gecko adhesion to produce the self-checking dry adhesive.

Ford is one such company that is currently working in this field, the use? Well, if it is able to do so then many of the car parts will hold on together, without the use of any artificial/man-made glue. That makes the decomposition or recycling process of old car parts harder (impossible to be precise). The said advancement will not only lead towards a greener tomorrow but will also be a cost saver for the auto world.

Debbie Mielewski, Ford's technical leader for plastic and sustainability said, "Solving this problem could provide cost savings and certainly environmental savings, it means we could increase the recycling of more foam and plastics, and further reduce our environmental footprint."

As for the record, Ford in the past too has taken steps to reduce its carbon footprints. The company was able to produce a 100% recyclable material that it successfully integrated into its cars in the form of seat covers. We now hope that this time too Ford is able to unfold the mystery behind Gecko's natural adhesive and implement the same in its future cars.