US Patent 7914912 - Actively switchable nanostructured adhesive

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7914912.html

This patent from the University of California system teaches a way to replicated the adhesive characteristics of Gecko toes using coated nanofiber structures. Claim 1 reads:

1. A fabricated microstructure, comprising:

a substrate;

a set of electrodes or a wire disposed on the substrate; and

a nano-fiber attached to the substrate, wherein the nano-fiber is differentially coated with an electroactive polymer, magnetostrictive material, paramagnetic, or ferromagnetic material to leave a portion of the nano-fiber coated with the electroactive polymer, magnetostrictive material, paramagnetic, or ferromagnetic material and another portion of the nano-fiber uncoated, wherein the nano-fiber is electrically isolated from said set of electrodes or wire, the nano-fiber configured to move between a first state and a second state in response to an electric field applied by the set of electrodes or magnetic field applied by the wire, wherein the nano-fiber is straight in the first state and curved in the second state, wherein, when the nano-fiber is in the first state and in contact with a contact surface, the nano-fiber does not adhere to the contact surface, and wherein, when the nano-fiber is in the second state and in contact with the contact surface, the nano-fiber adheres to the contact surface.