"Floating through space, a robot crawls along a space station. The skin covering the robot's parts lets it stick to the metal like a gecko sticks to a tree. This is not science fiction--it is science fact, the product of a long process of observation, study, and mimicry of the animal world. In [this book], readers will learn the story of Geckskin and five other technologies inspired by reptiles and insects"--Back cover.

"One fall day, a Swiss engineer was hiking with his dog. Soon the dog was covered in cockleburs, which held fast to its fur. After years of study and experimentation, the engineer invented Velcro, with hooks and loops just like the cockleburs. What woud life be like without Velcro? In Animal Tech: Fur & Claws, readers will learn about six life-changing technoogies that have been inspired by mammals. They will follow the stories of the scientists and...