Dynamically Spreading Shootable Adhesives Inspired by Dough Spinning

Abstract

Having the ability to attach an object to remote surfaces from a distance can be useful in a range of applications. While adhesive technologies have advanced significantly and are used in various ways, including in medical tools and robotics, most adhesives like tapes or glues are designed to be directly attached to physically accessible surfaces. Here, a new class of shootable adhesives is reported that can be deployed from a distance and dynamically spread out in mid-air, transforming en-route into a wide, thin disk shape that is ideal for conformal contact to diverse remote surfaces, including angled, stepped, and non-planar ones. The usability and reliability of this approach are demonstrated by securely affixing various functional electronics, such as GPS units, cameras, and communication modules, as well as mechanical wires, to physically inaccessible surfaces by shooting from a distance.