Swiss engineer George de Mestral invented the "VELCRO" brand product.

The product originated from burdock thorns, small seeds wrapped in hundreds of "hooks" that naturally catch fur, hair and tiny buckles on the surface of clothing.

The thorn is an inconspicuous magical species in nature, which can also cause small troubles to humans. Until one day in 1941, Swiss engineer George de Mestral (George de Mestral) led He went hunting with his dog in the Alps and encountered burdock thorns on the way.

This aroused the curiosity of Mr. George de Mestral. After further observation under the microscope, he discovered the mystery: It turns out that the top structure of each thorn of the cocklebur is a small hook. It is this structure that allows it to be easily hooked on trousers with a terry structure.

This discovery led Mr. George de Mestral to invent a buckle strap composed of two structures: hook and hair. The hooks are like the little hooks on cockleburs, and the hairs are like the loops on trousers.

Mr. Georges de Mestral registered a trademark for his invention, "VELCRO", which is derived from two French words: "velour" and "crochet", which means hook. And the meaning of terry.

Extended information:

The invention and influence of "Velcro" brand hook and loop fasteners

De Mestela draws inspiration from the thorns to create Introduced the world's first hook and loop fastener. De Mestra's original idea for "VELCRO" brand hook and loop fasteners was as a clothing buckle.

Today, it is used in a range of industries, from health care to auto repair and military industries. Although each VELCRO brand product has its own specific design purpose, their main principles are the same.

Think about it: The VELCRO brand solution for attaching your tablet device to the wall is based on the same principle as NASA's solution for securing dinner plates in zero-gravity space.

Reference materials:

Velcro brand official website

Velcro_Baidu Encyclopedia