Robert Full: Learning from the gecko's tail

[spaik007]

noo, so painful to see all these videos of people from a few years ago being so hopeful that obama will do anything progressive.. at all

[spaik007]

so in the future could rock climbers, or maybe in need of stealth, have use of a robot tail put on humans? could be inconvinient, but an idea

[098anne]

Great talk! Communication has been humanity's Achilles heel for ever. Maybe we do need instructions.

[mrlowdangle]

great talk!

maybe we'll have gecko gloves shoes and stick on tails in the future.. for climbing and jumping

or maybe we'll just inject gecko genes, and grow our own pads+nano hairs? o.O

[YODAZDAD]

I'm gonna go throw my Gecko of a skyscraper be right back lol

[YODAZDAD]

Really Great!

[colinlikeschapstick]

This is BRILLIANT. A real step in the right direction, in my opinion. da Vinci said we should learn from nature; holistic technologies that use nature's principles.

To me, this is where science will really find the most incredible discoveries. Why base our technology on human discoveries, which are juvenile and incomplete, when we can base them on nature's methods, something that has been perfecting them for millions upon millions of years?

Mother Nature knows all :D

[TimothyParadox1]

Ironically, mother nature knows nothing. The watchmaker is blind. :D

[hastilachincula]

I love these TED videos. They make me think again, unlike most youtube vids.

[illneverforgetthe90s]

superbly amazing

[txrepgirl]

Wow.That's a cool video.Thanks for posting it :) .

[chaOsMastaGuru]

They can stick, they can climb, and now... they can fly :D

[toyracers]

awesome..

[Thinkanalytic]

geckos are friends, not food.

[HigherPlanes]

yes, the tail is a counter balance device.

[JohnnyAlpha8]

Thanks Captain Obvious.

[HigherPlanes]

Exactly my point. It was a very subtle sarcastic comment. This whole video is freaking obvious.

[syraneko]

its like a swiss knife!

[woshinwb]

=D =D =D

[littleoutrage]

Oh wow Oh wow Oh wow. So cool.

[TheLesbianMafia]

normally enjoy these talks very much ... and he had me until they started throwing these litle animals around and forcing them to slip and fall and all that. corporate greed is an ugly thing.

and the free geico advertising was blatant and a bit off-putting.

[dropkicktype]

This is, for me personally, probably the most thought provoking comment I have ever seen on youtube. I normally never laugh so hard when reading comments, and then wonder afterwards why I laughed so hard.

For what it's worth, I think that the geico image was meant to be satirical, and that putting geckos in wind tunnels, only by a large stretch of the imagination, counts as animal cruelty. I respect your opinion however.

[TheKingOfFresno]

Oh please, you act like they were just banging them into walls or something. Have you ever been in a vertical wind tunnel? It's a freaking blast and I suggest you try it.

[fhqwhgadz]

Lol big science is out to get you!

[GI2K]

Amazing Talk !!!

[Crunch0r]

A to the wesome

[AcidRain64]

Cool!

[Dethent]

looks like the gecko flattens itself as well, to provide more air resistance and help it glide

[TVRf4N]

This is brilliant. And this man's passion is refreshing and very inspiring. Reminds me of my youth for some odd reason.

[puaseKlovn]

Im speechless!

This is so awesome!

[wrongwayup]

Fantastic stuff.

[bararistheman]

Brilliant talk, awesome

[slysci5]

amazing , just amazing. btw go obama. first smart politcian ive seen in a while

[simonbour]

insane!!!! great stuff

[MobilRay89]

am i the only one who thinks this guy looks like a walrus?

[wargecko]

Coo coo cachoo!

[0mnis14sh]

Wachya got there?

[Neppybutt]

Had they watched the old Batman series, when Batman and Robin were walking up the side of the building they would have possibly noticed the toes would peel away allowing them to move up the building with steadying the upward motion with a batrope.

I think that Batman & Robin had the glidepath of a rock if they fell, even with a cape, unless they had a secret suprise in their batbelt?

[thecheesburgler]

this is cool

[thinkofwhy]

In fact, the sticky nanofibres cause turbulance when the geko is gliding, and thereby lower the air pressure on the under side and enable it to aerodynamically glide better.

[bamboo4tameshigiri]

"Biomimetics"? We already have a word for his particular definition: Multidisciplinary. The talk is really cool, otherwise.

[supernautistaken]

there is as much technical skill involved in biology as there is in physics and engineering, it's just not as dominant. It can be, once we begin to accurately quantify biological phenomena, such as the physics and chemistry of organisms, we can move forward

[pinochet222]

wow the terminator will be actually a spiderman

[NekoMouser]

Seriously.

In 12 short minutes I went from not knowing that any-surface-wall-climbing, self-righting-when-falling, active-tail-having robots even existed to being terrified out of my gourd.

On one hand, this is freaking awesome!

On the other, I'm seriously sending this guy a copy of Terminator for Christmas with a note begging him to watch it.

[orkutrox]

seen this shit on myth busters like what a month or 2 ago

[Smataba]

haha geckos are so cute *O*

and now they are helping science

[CaptainZeep]

Multifaceted tail... But what purpose does the mustache serve?

[7DavidKim]

To look like John Sutter.

[crankthetoto]

sleight of hand

[Jontman42]

This is so damn awesome.

Evolution is brilliant. :D

[EyeRwra]

yes and god started evolution.

[Jontman42]

Not necessarily. I personally don't think thats very likely.

[safewaysecurity]

You have no evidence for that.

[emphaticapathy]

Which god?

[rata0071]

personally i think thor is the coolest

[ciaochowbella]

Baron Samedi rocks.

[ursweety888]

hahahaha

[jedimasterbooboo]

Oh, evolution has personal qualities. Amazing. Yes, I agree it's very intelligent. So are the creatures that can abstract about it.

[EyeRwra]

if this isnt a proof for god then i dont know

[jalgjalg]

ergo: you don't know :-)

[Monchanger]

Indeed! 

Praise be to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, who hath provided our scientists with inspiration!

[EyeRwra]

i forgive you.

[Monchanger]

Take your forgiveness and shove it, you sanctimonious Christian filth.

What facet of your religion-induced arrogance caused this delusion that I have need or desire of your forgiveness?

You forgive me? For what transgression against you? Where do you get the insane idea that you have the forgiveness to give? If I have given offense it is to Jehovah, not to your wretched self.

[eltotoX]

Condescending atheism on a TED video? Bad idea.

[celshader]

Someone should become a super hero called Geckoman.

[DarkEgg11]

awesome interesting video

[MDSguy]

what a great discovery, the expansion in potential technological development would be awesome

[koochkooch]

Amazing

[sonofpissjuice]

this was awesome!

[slLLyhumans]

Vry inerestng . TED always delivers .

5 stars

[tyrannicoystercult]

training for mastering INTERDISCIPLINARY YESSSSS do you knwo how much this resonates to my brain

[zappyhod]

...What we did....Wath fire a gecko...From a 12 GAUGE SHOTGUN....With a 1 megaton nuclear warhead stwapped to its back....Over a clump of wose bushes.. at BECKY BIG TITHS....Whoth in charge of accounting at MIT...To thee if it could still thtick to her TITH ! ! !

[FreshDebonair]

shut up.

[reda02812]

very interesting, sounded fun.

[annabodhi38]

He has a lisp... that's so cute!!

[Joerexia]

Science for the win.

[adamredwine]

This is great science, exploratory, practical, thorough and fun.

[google2com]

This whole I couldn't stop thinking the poor gecko who had to go through all those crazy experiements...HAHA.

[1140Cecile]

Very interesting video. It is beautiful to see evolution in action.

[chulo4lyfe]

amazing

[Doomsetter]

crazy, ud think they would of known about this stuff long ago.

[tklau]

Wow...amazing what the Creator has designed!

[niniomigrania]

Your creator also designed HIV and Cancer, but i guess you are OK with that right? LOL.

[pieface1726]

Ouch haha. don't be too harsh on those with faith now... some people just need it.

but on another note:

OMFG this video rocked! I just thought to myself...when everyone is fascinated by different things, and then they all put their brains together. humanity takes one big step forward. this synthetic fabric has such potential its unreal!

[airdreamlove]

God didn't design HIV and Cancer.

Freedom to chose to not follow God is what willed these plagues into existence. They were created by Satan, who's aim is to steal, kill, and destroy mankind because he's jealous.

[Joerexia]

While you prance around in fantasy land and cower before imaginary imps, scientists will thanklessly sweat and toil for years and decades to supply people in need with actual answers. Saying HIV and cancer are made by Satan is as good as acknowledging that the only way to combat disease is through prayer--which is fine, but don't come crawling to a modern hospital when shit hits the proverbial fan.

[airdreamlove]

I don't cower before the imps, and I wouldn't be so quick to call the imps imaginary...lol. Good straw man

Learn to make logical arguments some day.

[Chemicalogic]

Straw men are fitting for THE straw man--straw daddy, if you will. Joe is simply illustrating the falsity of a fabricated creator myth by invoking other obvious falsities. Imps seems about as likely as an all knowing, all controlling, jealous space god. Try to appreciate how silly the cosmic space daddy sounds, and then you might understand why people treat you like a child.

[airdreamlove]

What obvious falsities are you refering to?

[Chemicalogic]

Uh... I'll try to be clear: Absolute Being, All Knowing, All Powerful, Allah, Almighty, Creator, Divine Being, Father, God, Dude-wait, that's Lebowski--much cooler than god, Holy Spirit, Infinite Spirit, Jah, Jehovah, King of Kings, Lord, Maker, Yahweh, daemon, deity, demigod, demon, divinity, holiness, idol, master, numen, omnipotent, power, prime mover, providence, soul, spirit, totem, tutelary, universal life force, world spirit. Clear enough, logical argument man?

[airdreamlove]

That is neither clear nor logical.

You've vommited a hodgepodge of terms related to spirituality. Congradulations!

Care to explain?

[Chemicalogic]

Ugh.... Ok. I'll be really, really clear. Joerexia invoked imaginary imps in the place of your imaginary god. Is that clear? And do you really believe in imps? Isn't it time you outgrow your imaginary friends?

[boorens18]

wait whats the difference between god and an imaginary friend?

[tehLeecherer]

word length

[MDUMANOVIC]

God's not very friendly.

[Cainer666]

@ boorens18: People don't fly planes into buildings because of their imaginary friend.

[rudy4histo]

Well, they might though...

[boorens18]

um yes they do? Think about it like this....Even if there is a god, then still the majority of people have still got it wrong because they're in the wrong religon. Odds are they are killing themselves over an imaginary friend.

[pakiman47]

not all religions say other religions are wrong...

[DantesObjective]

They are all wrong

[safewaysecurity]

true that

[cnmaster01]

but many of their preachers do unfortuneatle and even those whose religions tell to love others are taught to hate. not always probably not even most of the time but enough times for the whole situation to be a sad state of affairs

[Monchanger]

I think it would help to make a distinction must be made between organized religion and spiritualism.

I see nothing inherently wrong with believing in higher powers (as wrong as it might be from a scientific perspective).

There is on the other hand a tremendous problem of people submitting to political groups which claim to act on behalf of such powers. It's these groups who condemn other religions for their own prosperity.

[Monchanger]

boorens18: God has lawyers.

[intrepgun]

...eight year olds, dude.

:)

[Chemicalogic]

Peder-ass. lol.....

[annabodhi38]

That is the most retarded thing I've ever heard! No I don't think you are a moron, but you do have your head buried in the sand.

[ravishethwala]

yes I am ok with HIV!!

Think about increasing population.. HIV is a kind of break!!! so nothing is meaningless in our world....

[sergiolopezOU]

Yeah, the creator of fallacies.

XD

[sergiolopezOU]

Yeah, the creator of fallacies.

XD

[adamredwine]

What kind of designer creates a universe the size of ours to make 99.9999999% of it completely uninhabitable?

[MassZombicide]

Guns Of The Patriots!

[Blomvik]

I love TED. It brings me technology, science, entertainment, history, and maybe even more. It opens my eyes too see what I'm missing by living the simple life I do. I'm looking forward to the future, when TED will be an enormous database of information from these seminars.

[BigO8872]

That was pretty awesome.

[scott01019]

cool! tails FTW!

[stubbedtoe9]

It's like the hair that Spiderman grows on his fingers in the movie.

[RustyCyler]

fascinating