New research could one day allow us all to crawl across ceilings like Spider-Man.

Scientists at Cornell University in the US have been using water and simple batteries to test out their sticky device. Water 'sticks' to the side of a glass by a process known as surface tension, and the researchers have been developing this high-tech use for it.

Their device uses a normal battery to pump water through a plate filled with microscopic holes. All of these miniature drops of water then help to grip a surface, and reversing the current from the battery will release the grip. They found that the more holes, the stronger the grip.

The research is still in its early days, but the developers say that a plate of just 6.5 square centimetres could support around 7kg. It sounds promising, but don't order your Spider-Man suit just yet.

Picture by Michael Vogel