Jump to content

Recommended Posts

  • Publishers
Posted

2 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

Akeem Shannon sitting on a sofa, holding a cellphone with Flipstik attached to it.
Akeem Shannon showcasing Flipstik attached to a smartphone. The product’s design was improved by looking at NASA research to inform its gecko-inspired method of adhering to surfaces
Credit: Flipstik Inc.

When it comes to innovative technologies, inventors often find inspiration in the most unexpected places. A former salesman, Akeem Shannon, was inspired by his uncle, who worked as an engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, to research the agency’s published technologies. He came across a sticky NASA invention that would help him launch his breakout product.  

In the early 2010s, a team of roboticists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California were exploring methods to enhance robots’ gripping capabilities. They came across the Van Der Waals force – a weak electrostatic bond that forms at the molecular level when points on two surfaces make contact. This is the same force that geckos use to climb along walls.  

A hand holds a dangling circular apparatus attached to a flat surface via gecko-like adhesion.
Much like a gecko’s foot, this apparatus developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory uses tiny fibers to grip objects and hold them tight. This work later inspired and informed the development of Flipstik.
Credit: NASA

The microscopic hairs on gecko toe pads are called setae, which gives the technology the nickname of “synthetic setae.” While Shannon couldn’t use this NASA technology to hang a TV on a wall, he saw a way to mount a much smaller screen – a cellphone. 

A synthetic setae attachment on a cellphone case could stick to most surfaces, such as mirrors or the back of airplane seats. With a product design in hand, Shannon founded St. Louis-based Flipstik Inc. in 2018. Shannon wanted to make a reliable product that could be used multiple times in various situations. He said the published NASA research, which describes methods of molding and casting the tiny hairs to be more durable, was indispensable to making his product portable and reusable. 

Flipstik has made an impact on the mobile device industry. In addition to people using it to mount their phones to watch videos, it has become popular among content creators to capture camera angles. Flipstik also allows deaf users to keep their hands free, enabling them to make video calls in sign language. From geckos to NASA research, Shannon’s innovation is a reminder that inspiration can come from anywhere. 

View the full article

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Similar Topics

    • By NASA
      Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions Mars Home NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Left Navigation Camera onboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 4,587 (2025-07-02 07:33:39 UTC). NASA/JPL-Caltech Written by Lucy Thompson, APXS Collaborator and Senior Research Scientist at the University of New Brunswick, Canada
      Earth planning date: Wednesday, July 2, 2025
      As we traverse the boxwork terrain, we are encountering a series of more resistant ridges/bedrock patches, and areas that are more rubbly and tend to form lower relief polygonal or trough-like features. We came into planning this morning in one of the trough-like features after another successful drive. The science team is interested in determining why we see these different geomorphological and erosional expressions. Is the rock that comprises the more resistant ridges and patches a different composition to the rock in the troughs and low relief areas? How do the rocks vary texturally? Might the resistant bedrock be an indicator of what we will encounter when we reach the large boxworks that we are driving towards?
      We managed to find a large enough area of rock to safely brush (target – “Guapay”), after which we will place APXS and MAHLI to determine the composition and texture. ChemCam will also analyze a different rock target, “Taltal” for chemistry and texture, and we will also acquire an accompanying Mastcam documentation image. The resistant ridge that we are planning to drive towards (“Volcan Pena Blanca”) and eventually investigate will be captured in a Mastcam mosaic. ChemCam will utilize their long-distance imaging capabilities to image the “Mishe Mokwa” butte off to the southeast of our current location, which likely contains bedrock layers that we will eventually pass through as we continue our climb up Mount Sharp.
      After a planned drive, taking us closer to the “Volcan Pena Blanca” ridge, MARDI will image the new terrain beneath the wheels, before we execute some atmospheric observations. Mastcam will make a tau observation to monitor dust in the atmosphere and Navcam will acquire a zenith movie. Standard DAN, RAD and REMS activities round out the plan.

      For more Curiosity blog posts, visit MSL Mission Updates


      Learn more about Curiosity’s science instruments

      Explore More
      2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4586-4587: Straight Drive, Strategic Science


      Article


      6 days ago
      3 min read An Update From the 2025 Mars 2020 Science Team Meeting


      Article


      6 days ago
      2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4584–4585: Just a Small Bump


      Article


      7 days ago
      Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
      Mars



      Mars Resources


      Explore this page for a curated collection of Mars resources.


      Rover Basics


      Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a…


      Mars Exploration: Science Goals


      The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…

      View the full article
    • By NASA
      Credit: NASA NASA has awarded a contract to MacLean Engineering & Applied Technologies, LLC of Houston to provide simulation and advanced software services to the agency.
      The Simulation and Advanced Software Services II (SASS II) contract includes services from Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2030, with a maximum potential value not to exceed $150 million. The contract is a single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quality contract with the capability to issue cost-plus-fixed-fee task orders and firm-fixed-price task orders.
      Under the five-year SASS II contract, the awardee is tasked to provide simulation and software services for space-based vehicle models and robotic manipulator systems; human biomechanical representations for analysis and development of countermeasures devices; guidance, navigation, and control of space-based vehicles for all flight phases; and space-based vehicle on-board computer systems simulations of flight software systems. Responsibilities also include astronomical object surface interaction simulation of space-based vehicles, graphics support for simulation visualization and engineering analysis, and ground-based and onboarding systems to support human-in-the-loop training.
      Major subcontractors include Tietronix Software Inc. in Houston and VEDO Systems, LLC, in League City, Texas.
      For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
      https://www.nasa.gov/
      -end-
      Tiernan Doyle
      Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-1600
      tiernan.doyle@nasa.gov
      Chelsey Ballarte
      Johnson Space Center, Houston
      281-483-5111
      Chelsey.n.ballarte@nasa.gov
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated Jul 02, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
      Technology Johnson Space Center View the full article
    • By European Space Agency
      Astronomers using the European Space Agency’s Cheops mission have caught an exoplanet that seems to be triggering flares of radiation from the star it orbits. These tremendous explosions are blasting away the planet’s wispy atmosphere, causing it to shrink every year.
      This is the first-ever evidence for a ‘planet with a death wish’. Though it was theorised to be possible since the nineties, the flares seen in this research are around 100 times more energetic than expected.
      View the full article
    • By European Space Agency
      Video: 00:03:30 Two meteorological missions – Meteosat Third Generation Sounder-1 (MTG-S1) and the Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission – have launched on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral in Florida, US.
      Both are world-class Earth observation missions developed with European partners to address scientific and societal challenges.  
      The MTG-S1 satellite will generate a completely new type of data product, especially suited to nowcasting severe weather events, with three-dimensional views of the atmosphere. It is the second in the MTG constellation to be prepared for orbit and is equipped with the first European operational Infrared Sounder instrument.
      Copernicus Sentinel-4 will be the first mission to monitor European air quality from geostationary orbit, providing hourly information that will transform how we predict air pollution across Europe, using its ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared light (UVN) spectrometer.
      View the full article
    • By European Space Agency
      Video: 00:02:30 Two meteorological missions – Meteosat Third Generation Sounder-1 (MTG-S1) and the Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission – have launched on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral in Florida, US.
      Both are world-class Earth observation missions developed with European partners to address scientific and societal challenges.  
      The MTG-S1 satellite will generate a completely new type of data product, especially suited to nowcasting severe weather events, with three-dimensional views of the atmosphere. It is the second in the MTG constellation to be prepared for orbit and is equipped with the first European operational Infrared Sounder instrument.
      Copernicus Sentinel-4 will be the first mission to monitor European air quality from geostationary orbit, providing hourly information that will transform how we predict air pollution across Europe, using its ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared light (UVN) spectrometer.
      View the full article
  • Check out these Videos

×
×
  • Create New...