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As is well known, geckos sell car insurance.
众所周知格柯斯公司销售的是车险。
But they’re also famous for their extremely adhesive feet, which can keep them stuck to walls and even ceilings.
而壁虎因为其飞檐走壁的脚出名，这使得它们黏在墙面甚至房顶上。
Archimedes wondered how they do it.
阿基米德就曾经很好奇它们是如何做到的。
Geckos can also easily loosen their grip and break into a dash, which has flummoxed physicists.
壁虎也能轻易松懈自己的抓力然后突然掉下，这就使很多物理学家们困惑不解。
But scientific stick-to-itiveness finally found the on-off switch.
但是科学坚持不懈的品质使得科学家们最终发现了壁虎身上的秘密。
Geckos’ toes are covered in thousands of tiny hairs called setae.
壁虎的脚趾上面有着被称为刚毛的成千上万小毛发状结构。
These setae can bend to make contact with all the grooves and crevices in a surface.
刚毛可以弯曲与表面上的所有沟壑与裂缝进行连接。
To adhere, the setae rely on small electromagnetic attractions between molecules called van der Waals forces.
为了具有粘附性，刚毛依靠的是分子间被称为范德华力的力产生的微弱电磁吸引力。
Researchers created mathematical models that revealed that the default for gecko feet is non-sticky.
研究人员因此构建了数学模型用于揭开壁虎脚趾平常不具有粘性的这个秘密。
To activate the grip, the lizards extend and angle their setae to create millions of contact points with a surface.
为了紧抓住平面，蜥蜴伸展并且弯曲刚毛 以便产生和表面的数以百万计接触点。
The research is in the Journal of Applied Physics.
这项研究已经在《应用物理学》杂志上发表。
Scientists would love to create synthetic adhesives based on the gecko trick.
科学家们很乐意根据壁虎的这一特点合成粘合剂。
Perhaps by harnessing the power of setae, robots could climb walls, and stick or unstick without expending much energy, just as the gecko does.
或许通过对于刚毛的驾驭，机器人也能就像壁虎那样不必消耗能量就能进行爬墙，粘住或者打开等动作。
