Geckos, long thought to use van der Waals forces and tiny toe hairs to stick to surfaces, may also use electrostatic forces.
Research from the University of Waterloo has debunked a long held belief that static electricity plays no part in gecko adhesiveness, based on a study from the 1930s.
The current study used a variety of surfaces and measuring the electrical charge of the gecko’s footpad to conclude that while van der Waals forces do play a part - so does static electricity.
Read more at University of Waterloo