Researchers Devise "Sentient Glue"

UPI - UK researchers working on so-called "smart adhesives" have developed a glue they claim is sentient. "The adhesive matrix can identify the bits that want sticking and those that don't," said lead scientist Conrad Horkle of UC London, "and that gives a cleaner, more solid joint." At present the glue adheres only to the surfaces the researchers did not intend it to bind to, but the group is confident they'll be able to get things turned around. "The sticky bit," says Horkle, "is getting the proportions right. At the moment we reckon we've made the glue too clever by about a half. We'll be looking carefully at the dosages in our upcoming studies." Based on a technique called "arthropod biomimetics", the UCL group's method could lead to commercially available intelligent glues in as little as 5 years time, according to Horkle.