2024’s Startup Battlefield runner-up geCKo Materials reveals four new products at TechCrunch Disrupt

At this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt, geCKo Materials, which secured the runner-up position in the 2024 Startup Battlefield, took the stage to introduce an exciting lineup of new products aimed at further commercializing its cutting-edge technology. Founder Dr. Capella Kerst showcased four innovative applications of the company’s remarkably strong dry adhesive. These include a tool designed for handling semiconductor wafers, a robotic gripper specialized for smooth surfaces such as solar panels and glass, a curved robotic end effector for manipulating irregular shapes, and a versatile gripper intended for robotic arms. The technology draws inspiration from the gripping abilities of real lizards, leading Kerst to liken it to a modern version of Velcro that leaves no sticky residue, can be attached and detached swiftly, and operates without the need for electrical power or suction. Remarkably, a one-inch square of this adhesive can support up to 16 pounds, and it can adhere as many as 120,000 times, maintaining its grip for durations ranging from seconds to years. The adaptability of geCKo’s dry adhesive in various manufacturing and robotic applications has garnered significant interest. Even before competing in last year’s Battlefield, the company attracted major clients such as Ford, NASA, and Pacific Gas & Electric. Reflecting on the past year during her presentation, Kerst remarked, “Has this year flown by as quickly for anybody else as it has for us?” She noted that the company has tripled its workforce since the last TechCrunch event and successfully raised $8 million in funding. Moreover, geCKo's dry adhesive played a crucial role in six space missions over the past year, underscoring its versatility across different environments, including the vacuum of space. Kerst demonstrated the technology live, showcasing a Fanuc robotic arm equipped with six geCKo tiles adeptly moving objects. She also presented videos illustrating other commercial applications, including a case where geCKo’s material facilitated the rapid and safe movement of semiconductor wafers at speeds exceeding current suction technology capabilities. “Our customers at TSMC, Samsung, Intel, and Kawasaki set a target of moving the wafers at 2Gs of acceleration,” she explained. “We aimed higher and achieved 5.4Gs of acceleration consistently and reliably using geCKo materials.”