Hybrid adhesives, Electrostatic adhesion, Net capturing, Bio-inspiration
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,"/> Hybrid adhesives, Electrostatic adhesion, Net capturing, Bio-inspiration,"/> A Spiderweb-inspired Electrostatic-microstructure Hybrid Adhesive Flexible Net for Space Debris Capture

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Journal of Bionic Engineering ›› 2026, Vol. 23 ›› Issue (1): 257-273.doi: 10.1007/s42235-025-00826-1

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A Spiderweb-inspired Electrostatic-microstructure Hybrid Adhesive Flexible Net for Space Debris Capture

Ruilin Li1, Peng Qiao1, Lifu Liu1, Zean Yuan1, Shuhong Huang1, Huijiang Wang2, Rui Chen1   

  1. 1 Mechanical Transmission Advanced Equipment, ChongqingUniversity, Chongqing 400044, China 2 Create Lab, School of Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute ofTechnology in Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
  • Online:2026-02-15 Published:2026-03-17
  • Contact: Rui Chen1 E-mail:cr@cqu.edu.cn
  • About author:Ruilin Li1, Peng Qiao1, Lifu Liu1, Zean Yuan1, Shuhong Huang1, Huijiang Wang2, Rui Chen1

Abstract: The net capturing method holds great potential for space debris removal due to its adaptability to the various target shapesand high fault tolerance. However, the capture mechanisms of current rope nets, which rely solely on a passive wrapping mechanism, limit their capacity to capture objects within a specific size range and make it challenging to handleunexpected situations. Inspired by spider webs, which combine wrapping and adhering to capture prey of various sizes,we present a new type of net (envelope diameter: 208.49 mm) for on-orbit capture. This net adopts a spiral symmetricstructure similar to spider webs, incorporates electrostatic-microstructure hybrid adhesives, and increases the maximumcontact area by 38.31%, allowing it to capture debris ranging from fragments smaller than the mesh size (envelope diameter: 2.7 mm - 4.4 mm) to larger objects (envelope diameter: 270 mm), and effectively grasps flexible items (450 mm2),planar items (350 mm2) and three-dimensional items (160 mm3). Moreover, to validate the net’s capability for wrappingand adhesion, simulations and experiments are demonstrated that this dual capture method can effectively handle varioustargets.

Key words: Hybrid adhesives, Electrostatic adhesion, Net capturing, Bio-inspiration')">Hybrid adhesives, Electrostatic adhesion, Net capturing, Bio-inspiration