<P> Hook - and - loop fasteners, hook - and - pile fasteners or touch fasteners, consist of two components: typically, two lineal fabric strips (or, alternatively, round "dots" or squares) which are attached (sewn or otherwise adhered) to the opposing surfaces to be fastened . The first component features tiny hooks; the second features even smaller and "hairier" loops . When the two components are pressed together, the hooks catch in the loops and the two pieces fasten or bind temporarily during the time that they are pressed together . When separated, by pulling or peeling the two surfaces apart, the strips make a distinctive "ripping" sound . </P> <P> Hook and loop fasteners are often referred to by the genericized trademark "Velcro ." </P> <P> The original hook - and - loop fastener was conceived in 1941 by Swiss engineer George de Mestral . The idea came to him one day after returning from a hunting trip with his dog in the Alps . He took a close look at the burrs (seeds) of burdock that kept sticking to his clothes and his dog's fur . He examined them under a microscope, and noted their hundreds of "hooks" that caught on anything with a loop, such as clothing, animal fur, or hair . He saw the possibility of binding two materials reversibly in a simple fashion if he could figure out how to duplicate the hooks and loops . Hook and Loop is viewed by some like Steven Vogel or Werner Nachtigall as a key example of inspiration from nature or the copying of nature's mechanisms (called bionics or biomimesis). </P> <P> Originally people refused to take De Mestral seriously when he took his idea to Lyon, which was then a center of weaving . He did manage to gain the help of one weaver, who made two cotton strips that worked . However, the cotton wore out quickly, so De Mestral turned to synthetic fibers . He settled on nylon as being the best synthetic, which had several advantages: it doesn't break down, rot, or attract mold, and it could be produced in threads of various thickness . Nylon had only recently been invented, and through trial and error de Mestral eventually discovered that, when sewn under hot infrared light, nylon forms small hook shapes . However, he had yet to figure out a way to mechanize the process, and to make the looped side . Next he found that nylon thread, when woven in loops and heat - treated, retains its shape and is resilient; however, the loops had to be cut in just the right spot so that they could be fastened and unfastened many times . On the verge of giving up, a new idea came to him . He bought a pair of shears and trimmed the tops off the loops, thus creating hooks that would match up perfectly with the loops in the pile . </P>

How burdock fruits inspired the invention of the hook and loop fastener
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