PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

SEOULTECH researchers develop smart adhesive system based on starfish for aquatic applications

The starfish-inspired adhesive effectively and efficiently grips and releases objects underwater

2025-08-27
(Press-News.org)

Soft robotics, which uses flexible and deformable materials, is an emerging field in autonomous systems. It has recently been applied to next-generation tasks such as deep-sea sampling with soft robotic grippers—requiring strong adhesion and autonomous detachment. Bioinspired adhesion offers a promising solution. In nature, gecko feet, mussel proteins, and octopus suction cups achieve efficient, reversible adhesion for underwater tasks like object pickup, movement in tight spaces, and surface attachment. Inspired by these, researchers have developed switchable underwater adhesion methods using chemical bonding, suction, negative pressure, and capillary forces.

Taking ahead the research work in this direction, a team of researchers from Korea and the USA, led by Professor Hyunsik Yoon from Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, has successfully developed starfish-­inspired tube feet for temporary and switchable underwater adhesion and transportation. Their work was made available online and has been published in Volume 11, Issue 30 of the journal Science Advances on July 23, 2025.

“Our starfish-inspired technology can attach and detach underwater on demand, just like real starfish tube feet. Starfish, a type of echinoderm, can move on rocks, adhere to rough surface, dig and burrow into sand, and toss sand grains. This innovation could transform underwater robots, marine repairs, and medical devices by providing a strong grip without using chemical adhesives,” remarks Prof. Yoon. 

The starfish-­inspired tube foot—designed via combining two serially bonded cylindrical components with different mechanical properties—comprises a soft hydrogel mouth and a rigid stem. Its underlying mechanism is as follows: the straight hydrogel cylinder selectively changes its shape to a soft and cupped pad upon swelling. The pad modifies itself to stretch and spread on contact. Eventually, this transformation facilitates the desirable adhesion of the foot to target surfaces. Notably, the formation of a vacuum within the tube during detachment results in a strong underwater adhesion force as high as 65 kPa.

The proposed artificial tube feet exhibit high adhesion hysteresis, automatic release based on outside stimuli, and quick detachment by pneumatic actuation. In this study, the researchers demonstrate the functionality of their temporary underwater adhesive inspired by the tube feet of starfish through underwater manipulation of rocks.

This starfish-inspired underwater adhesion technology is expected to enable a wide range of real-world applications. The reversible, glue-free grip could enable precise chip transfer in MicroLED manufacturing, as well as temporary yet secure attachment for biomedical patches and surgical tools in wet environments. By combining strong adhesion with easy release, this innovation offers a versatile solution across industrial and healthcare fields.

“The starfish-inspired adhesion technology could play a pivotal role in advancing both display manufacturing and biomedical engineering. In the display industry, its precise, controllable grip could enable highly reliable chip transfer in MicroLED production, helping to create brighter, more energy-efficient screens for smartphones, wearables, and large displays. In healthcare, the same reversible, glue-free adhesion could lead to next-generation biomedical patches, wearable sensors, and surgical tools that attach securely to wet skin or tissue without irritation, improving patient comfort and treatment outcomes,” elaborates Prof. Yoon on the potential applications of their research. 

Overall, by offering a strong yet gentle attachment method, the present work could help make future devices thinner, smarter, and more user-friendly.

 

***

Reference                           

Title of original paper: Starfish-­inspired tube feet for temporary and switchable underwater adhesion and transportation

Journal: Science Advances

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adx3539

                           

About the Institute Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SEOULTECH)

Seoul National University of Science and Technology, commonly known as 'SEOULTECH,' is a national university located in Nowon-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Founded in April 1910, around the time of the establishment of the Republic of Korea, SEOULTECH has grown into a large and comprehensive university with a campus size of 504,922 m2.

It comprises 10 undergraduate schools, 35 departments, 6 graduate schools, and has an enrollment of approximately 14,595 students.

Website: https://en.seoultech.ac.kr/

 

About the author

Dr. Hyunsik Yoon is a Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Seoul National University of Science and Technology. His research focuses on bioinspired surfaces, micro/nanofabrication, and soft robotics for applications in advanced manufacturing, biomedical devices, and environmental sustainability. He has published extensively in high-impact journals, such as Science Advances, Nature Communications, Matter, and Advanced Materials. He holds multiple patents on displays, semiconductor packaging, and biomedical patches. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, he aims to translate fundamental discoveries into practical technologies that improve daily life.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

SEOULTECH researchers develop smarter, more controllable hydrogel pores

2025-08-27
Hydrogels are soft, water-rich polymeric materials that can swell or shrink in response to environmental stimuli. This ability to change shape makes them valuable in miniaturized devices for flexible electronics, microrobotics, intelligent surfaces, and biomedical applications such as drug delivery. For example, hydrogel pores can be engineered to trap and release tiny drug particles on demand. However, most current hydrogel pores use circular designs, which limit control over shape change and lead to unpredictable, slow actuation. They often close unevenly and recover poorly, reducing their precision and reliability. To address ...

New material design strategy unlocks magnetic tunability in quasicrystal approximants

2025-08-27
In stoichiometric compounds (compounds with fixed ratios of elements), the elemental ratios are dictated by chemical stability, which constrains how much the composition, and consequently the number of valence electron-per-atom (e/a) ratio, can be adjusted. Tuning e/a has been proved to be a promising strategy to architecture magnetic properties in many intermetallic compounds, especially those with complex structures including quasicrystals (QCs) and their structurally related approximant crystals (ACs). Owing to their structural complexity, their electronic properties are sensitive to the number of valence electron-per-atom (e/a). Stoichiometric ...

SEOULTECH researchers develop game-changing wireless technology that could transform mobile communications

2025-08-27
In recent decades, communication technology has advanced at unprecedented speed. A key breakthrough is semantic communications—a shift from transmitting raw data to conveying semantic meaning. For example, in image transmission, meaning takes priority over pixel-level accuracy. By integrating user tasks into the communication process, semantic communications improve both efficiency and user experience. While deep learning has accelerated progress, a transition from analog to digital modulation is essential for compatibility ...

Online therapy can help treat bulimia, offering hope for women lacking access to care

2025-08-27
Bulimia nervosa (BN), or bulimia, is a mental health disorder characterized by binge eating and a fear of gaining weight, which drives people to try and avoid weight gain, usually by compensatory (vomiting etc.). Over time, this binge–purge cycle harms both physical and mental health of the individual, leading to problems like dehydration, low blood pressure, depression, and even self-harm. BN mostly affects young women and often begins in their teenage years, with studies showing that up to three percent of women may experience BN at some point in their lives, putting them at higher risk if left untreated. BN is thought to develop ...

Reinventing fiber-based pressure sensors

2025-08-27
Pressure sensors are crucial in many emerging applications, but traditional designs are often bulky or inflexible. In a recent study, researchers from Japan developed a fiber-shaped pressure sensor that overcomes this limitation by increasing—rather than decreasing—its resistance when compressed. Owing to a unique multi-walled conductive core made from graphene nanoplatelets, these fibers could enable fine-tuned tactile sensing for next-generation smart textiles and robotic grippers. The need for pressure sensors has been steadily increasing across diverse applications, from robotic grippers that need accurate tactile ...

Deforestation could account for over a third of heat deaths in areas of tropical forest loss researchers find

2025-08-27
Deforestation in tropical countries could contribute to increased deaths from heat exposure in nearby populations, new research has shown.    Published today in the journal Nature Climate Change, the research was led by Dr Carly Reddington and Professor Dominick Spracklen, from the University of Leeds’ School of Earth and Environment.    The study, which analysed areas across Central and South America, Africa and South-East Asia, found that local climate heating caused by tropical deforestation has exposed over 300 million people to increased temperatures and is associated with 28,000 ...

Innovative backpack enhances stability for people with ataxia

2025-08-27
An innovative backpack, incorporating aerospace technology, shows promise as a balance aid for patients with the movement disorder ataxia. Research conducted by Radboud university medical center, in collaboration with Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) and Erasmus MC, reveals that the backpack helps individuals with ataxia stand and walk more steadily, reducing their reliance on mobility aids like walkers. Ataxia is a neurological condition in which the cerebellum, the part of the brain responsible for coordination, functions improperly. This leads to issues with balance and coordination, increasing the risk of falls. Dr. Jorik Nonnekes, rehabilitation ...

Mapping the heart of volcanoes when they wake up

2025-08-27
Volcanic eruptions can have dramatic consequences. But how can we anticipate this phenomenon, which unfolds up to tens of kilometres beneath the surface? A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), in collaboration with the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) in Italy, has successfully recreated a 3D model of the interior of the Vulcano volcano, located in northern Sicily. This image, produced with unprecedented accuracy, was obtained by combining nodal seismic networks and artificial intelligence. Published in Nature Communications, these results represent a major breakthrough ...

Cosmic butterfly reveals clues to Earth's creation

2025-08-27
Clues about how worlds like Earth may have formed have been found buried at the heart of a spectacular 'cosmic butterfly'. With the help of the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers say they have made a big leap forward in our understanding of how the raw material of rocky planets comes together. This cosmic dust – tiny particles of minerals and organic material which include ingredients linked to the origins of life – was studied at the core of the Butterfly Nebula, NGC 6302, which is located about ...

Phone snubbing more damaging to insecure partners, study finds

2025-08-27
Researchers from the University of Southampton have found that people with emotional insecurities are more affected than others when their partners choose their phone over them. The researchers have conducted a study into ‘phubbing’ – a mashup of ‘phone’ and ‘snubbing’ used to describe the all too familiar scenario where the person you are talking to shuns you to look at their phone. The team wanted to find out how people with different ways of thinking and feeling about their relationship would respond to being ‘phubbed’. The results have been published in the Journal of Personality. Dr Claire Hart, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Engineers develop solid lubricant to replace toxic materials in farming

Repurposing gemstone polishing waste to create smart cement

Patient-physician messaging by race, ethnicity, insurance type, and preferred language

Unrecognized motor difficulties and developmental coordination disorder in preschool children

Background genetic variants influence clinical features in complex disorders

Smarter battery tech knows whether your EV will make it home

Overactive microRNAs block fat cell development in progeria

Crosswalk confusion: MA drivers flummoxed by pedestrian hybrid beacons, find UMass Amherst researchers

Study shows heart disease mortality disproportionately burdens low-income communities in California

Intracardiac echocardiography recognized as ‘transformative’ imaging modality in new SCAI position statement

Study finds ‘man’s best friend’ slows cellular aging in female veterans

To get representative health data, researchers hand out fitbits

Hiring in high-growth firms: new study explores the timing of organizational changes

Boosting work engagement through a simple smartphone diary

Climate change may create ‘ecological trap’ for species who can’t adapt

Scientists create ChatGPT-like AI model for neuroscience to build one of the most detailed mouse brain maps to date

AI and omics unlock personalized drugs and RNA therapies for heart disease

2023 ocean heatwave ‘unprecedented but not unexpected’

Johns Hopkins researchers develop AI to predict risk of US car crashes

New drug combination offers hope for men with advanced prostate cancer

New discovery finds gene converts insulin-producing cells into blood-sugar boosters

Powerful and precise multi-color lasers now fit on a single chip

Scientists agree chemicals can affect behavior, but industry workers more reluctant about safety testing

DNA nanospring measures cellular motor power

Elsevier Foundation and RIKEN launch “Envisioning Futures” report: paving the way for gender equity and women’s leadership in Japanese research

Researchers discover enlarged areas of the spinal cord in fish, previously found only in four-limbed vertebrates

Bipolar disorder heterogeneity decoded: transforming global psychiatric treatment approaches

Catching Alport syndrome through universal age-3 urine screening

Instructions help you remember something better than emotions or a good night’s sleep

Solar energy is now the world’s cheapest source of power, a Surrey study finds

[Press-News.org] SEOULTECH researchers develop smart adhesive system based on starfish for aquatic applications
The starfish-inspired adhesive effectively and efficiently grips and releases objects underwater