Inspired by a walk in the woods
In 1941, Swiss engineer George de Mestral went hunting in the Alps with his dog. When they returned, both his trousers and his dog’s fur were covered in prickly burrs, seed heads of the burdock plant.
Instead of just pulling them off, de Mestral got curious. He looked at a burr under a microscope and saw hundreds of tiny hooks that caught on anything with loops, like fabric threads and hair.
He wondered: could he make a fastener that worked the same way?
Developing the invention
Turning the idea into a product took years.
| Year | Step |
|---|---|
| 1941 | De Mestral notices burrs sticking to his dog |
| 1940s | He tries cotton, but the hooks wear out quickly |
| Early 1950s | He discovers that nylon sewn under infrared light forms tough hooks |
| 1955 | He receives a Swiss patent |
| 1958 | U.S. patent granted |
| 1960s | NASA uses it in spacecraft and spacesuits, making it famous |
He named it Velcro, from the French words velours (velvet) and crochet (hook).
Making the loops was easy, but making strong, tiny hooks was hard. It took many prototypes and much trial and error, a reminder that inventing often requires persistence.
How it works
A hook-and-loop fastener has two strips:
| Strip | Feel | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Hook side | Rough, scratchy | Thousands of tiny stiff hooks |
| Loop side | Soft, fuzzy | Thousands of tiny soft loops |
When pressed together, the hooks catch the loops. The more hooks and loops that connect, the stronger the hold.
To open it, you peel the strips apart, unhooking a few at a time. That’s why it’s easy to peel but hard to pull straight apart. Peeling creates the famous ripping sound.
Biomimicry
Velcro is a classic example of biomimicry: learning from nature to solve human problems.
| Nature | Invention |
|---|---|
| Burrs | Velcro |
| Kingfisher beak | Nose of Japan’s bullet train (quieter in tunnels) |
| Shark skin | Swimsuits and surfaces that reduce drag and resist bacteria |
| Gecko feet | Dry adhesives that stick and unstick |
| Lotus leaf | Self-cleaning, water-repellent surfaces |
| Termite mounds | Natural ventilation in buildings |
| Whale fins | More efficient wind turbine blades |
| Spider silk | Research into super-strong fibres |
Uses of Velcro
| Area | Examples |
|---|---|
| Clothing | Shoes, jackets, bags |
| Space | Astronauts stick tools, food and objects to walls so they don’t float away |
| Medicine | Blood pressure cuffs, braces, splints |
| Accessibility | Easier fastening for young children and people with limited hand movement |
| Military and sports | Uniforms, gear, shin guards |
| Home | Organizing cables, hanging pictures |
In space, astronauts reportedly used a small Velcro patch inside their helmets to scratch their noses!
Advantages and disadvantages
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Quick and easy to use | Hooks collect lint and hair |
| Adjustable | Can wear out over time |
| Good for people who find buttons or laces hard | Noisy when opened |
| Strong when lots of hooks connect | Can snag delicate fabrics |
About the name
"Velcro" is a brand name. The company has asked people to say "hook-and-loop fastener" to protect its trademark. In 2017, it even released a funny music video asking people not to call all hook-and-loop fasteners "Velcro"!
Common mistakes
- Thinking Velcro was invented by NASA. NASA made it famous, but de Mestral invented it.
- Thinking both sides are the same. One has hooks, the other loops.
Try it yourself
- Look at a burr (or a piece of Velcro) under a magnifying glass. Draw the hooks and loops.
- Test how much weight a 2 cm square of hook-and-loop fastener can hold before peeling apart. Compare with a 4 cm square.
- Choose a plant or animal and invent a product inspired by one of its features.
Quick recap
- George de Mestral invented Velcro after studying burrs that stuck to his dog.
- Tiny hooks on one strip catch tiny loops on the other.
- It took years of experiments, especially to make durable nylon hooks.
- Velcro is a famous example of biomimicry.
- It’s used in clothing, space, medicine and accessibility.