Geico Advertising Icon Has Inspired The Invention Of A Waterproof Bandage
In the past few years, geckos have entered into our households only by means of an advertising icon for the insurance firm Geico, but who would have thought that this exact same small creature would have been utilized as an inspiration for scientists to develop a waterproof bandage.
The toes of the gecko adhere to a wide selection of surfaces, with out the use of liquids or any surface tension And now U.S researchers have utilized this exact same theory and have applied it to make a waterproof bandage which was inspired by the sticky surface of a gecko’s paws According to Medscape this waterproof bandage was invented by Robert Langer, a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and colleague Jeff Karp of Harvard Medical School They utilized pc technology to sculpt very tiny hills and valleys on the surface of the bandage to grip the underlying tissue, improving its adhesion To make it sticky on wet surfaces, they added a thin layer of a sugar based glue to the tape And with other properties to make it biodegradable means that it could be left inside the body In tests on samples of pig intestines, the glue was twice as strong as adhesives.The uses of this gecko inspired bandage consist of countless, such as prevention of leakage in gastric bypass surgeries, it can be employed to supplement sutures or staples, and also for sealing wounds The bandage can be employed in all wet environments, such as in the heart, bladder or lungs This is an additional tremendous advancement in the world of medicine right now.Isn’t it fantastic that there is a helpful invention from that small Geico advertising creature, other than making us wonder, What is the purpose of that gross, but yet cute looking lizard on television?
Resources:http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/570407?src=mphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gecko .
Filed under Allstate by on Dec 20th, 2010.




Leave a Comment