Van der waal forces are not very strong, you need a lot of surface area for the effect to be noticeable. If you reduce the surface area the total force will also be reduced. The way a gecko will reduce the surface area is by peeling its feet off instead of pulling on their entire foot. It's similar to how if you want to remove tape you will peel it instead of pulling
SmallTestAcount t1_j0sqjey wrote
Reply to Geckos use Van Der Waals forces to stick to walls, but how do they let go? by houstoncouchguy
Van der waal forces are not very strong, you need a lot of surface area for the effect to be noticeable. If you reduce the surface area the total force will also be reduced. The way a gecko will reduce the surface area is by peeling its feet off instead of pulling on their entire foot. It's similar to how if you want to remove tape you will peel it instead of pulling