BURDOCK 路 STICKING WITHOUT GLUE
The hitchhiking seed
How can a burr hold on without glue?
01 路 NOTICE THE NATURE
What鈥檚 really
happening?
A burdock burr has tiny curved hooks on its outside. Those hooks catch in animal fur or the fibres of clothing, so its shape helps it hold on.
02 路 BORROW AN IDEA
From nature
to design.
George de Mestral studied the burrs that clung to his clothes and his dog鈥檚 fur. He developed a reusable fastener with hooks on one strip and loops on the other: press them together to catch, then pull them apart to release.
THE IDEA TO TAKE AWAY
Hooks catch loops. A connection can be strong enough to hold, yet easy to open again.
A useful detail
The technology is called hook-and-loop; VELCRO庐 is a brand name. A manufactured fastener uses two designed surfaces, rather than a plant burr and animal fur.
Follow the evidence
- Velcro Companies 路 How hook-and-loop works
- Velcro Companies 路 De Mestral鈥檚 invention
- George de Mestral 路 Original fastening patent
Sources open in a new tab. Some research papers use grown-up science language.