geCKo Materials, a standout in the tech industry, has made significant strides since last year’s TechCrunch Disrupt event, where it was the runner-up in the Startup Battlefield. In the process, the company has seen its workforce triple. Now with $8 million in newly raised funding, it’s able to expand its innovative offerings far beyond that. At this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt expo, geCKo Materials dazzled the show floor with four cutting-edge applications of its super-strong dry adhesive. This cutting-edge technology will revolutionize semiconductor wafer handling and enhance robotic manipulation.
This adhesive technology is fast and easy to use and holds up to 16 pounds per one-inch tile. It has shown remarkable versatility achieving good attachments 120,000 times with success. It can stick for different lengths of time—seconds to years—and works well in a range of conditions, even vacuum. This is what makes it so particularly amenable to high-tech applications in fields like semiconductor manufacturing and robotics.
Dr. Capella Kerst, the CEO of the company, geCKo Materials, said that demand for their products is increasing. “Our customers at TSMC, Samsung, Intel, and Kawasaki said we have a goal to [move the wafers] at 2Gs of acceleration,” she stated. This was inspired by the growing need for more precise and faster wafer handling solutions in semiconductor manufacturing.
The newly introduced products include a semiconductor wafer handling tool, a robotic gripper designed for smooth surfaces like solar panels and glass, a curved robotic “end effector” for irregular shapes, and an all-purpose gripper suitable for robotic arms. Whether in industry or our geCKo organic nature prosthetic innovation, these innovations speak to the versatility and power of geCKo’s dry adhesive technology.
Dr. Kerst shared videos during her TechCrunch Disrupt presentation that brought to life the commercial uses of geCKo Materials’ adhesive. One demonstration included a Fanuc robotic arm using six geCKo tiles to quickly grasp and manipulate objects with extended accuracy and precision. The fabric was tested through a cycle of acceleration up to 5.4Gs, proving its durability and performance in the harshest environments.
In addition to practical applications in robotics and manufacturing, geCKo Materials’ dry adhesive has been utilized in six space missions over the past year, highlighting its capability to operate in extreme environments.
As geCKo Materials continues to grow and innovate, Dr. Kerst reflected on the rapid pace of development over the past year. “Has this year flown by as quickly for anybody else as it has for us?” she remarked, indicating both surprise and excitement at the company’s progress.
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