How can flies walk on the ceiling

This was shown to be incorrect when, in , Natural History Magazine took and published photos of flies landing on the ceiling. What is actually happening here is that as the fly approaches the ceiling, flying normally, it extends its forelegs above its head and grabs the ceiling with its front feet. It then uses its momentum to swing the rest of its body up until all its legs are firmly attached to the ceiling.

At this point, you might be asking how they manage to hold on to the ceiling with gravity pulling them down. In order to get each foot unstuck as the fly walks, it has to push its foot away from itself and peel it off the surface of what it is stuck to. This sticky glue on its feet is also one of the reasons flies tend to spread diseases so well. When they walk on feces, garbage, etc, the glue on their feet picks up all sorts of harmful bacteria and they spread this bacteria by walking on, for instance, you or your food.

Flies use several different techniques to get unstuck: pushing, twisting, and peeling its footpads free. The combination of the feet hairs' rounded tips, the oily fluid, and a four-feet-on-the-floor rule help the inverted insect take steps in the right direction.

Gorb's research team worked with a robotics group from Case Western Reserve University to design robotic feet that mimic a fly's footing.

On the bottom of the feet of a 3-ounce robot that's all legs, scientists tacked on a sticky, furry manmade material that resembles the hairy surface of a fly foot. The researchers also taught the robot how to gently peel its foot off a glass wall, just like a demure insect.

Live Science. This substance provides the traction and stickiness that allows insects to hold on to smooth surfaces, such as glass.

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