Who Invented Velcro?
Velcro consists of two strings of nylon fabric. One of these fabrics is covered with small and durable loops that stand extremely close to each other, while the other is covered with small hooks. When these two fabrics are pressed together, these loops and hooks interlock and form a tight bond.
When the fabrics are separated from each other, a clicking sound occurs.
George de Mestral (19 June 1907 – 8 February 1990) was a Swiss electrical engineer who invented the hook and loop fastener which he named Velcro.
Swiss engineer George da Mestral (1907-1990) got the idea for the Velcro in 1941 when he decided to use his microscope to examine the burrs that had accumulated in his dog's fur and his own clothing. These burrs, the seed head of burdock, have many small hooks on them that stick to animals or other hairy creatures and stay on until the animal removes them. It was in this way that De Mestral realized the potential of a type of fastener with strong hooks on one side and loops on the other, through which these hooks could pass. Known as velcro in English, this product was created by combining the French words velor and crochet.
De Mestral first conceptualised hook and loop after returning from a hunting trip with his dog in the Alps in 1941. After removing several of the burdock burrs (seeds) that kept sticking to his clothes and his dog's fur, he became curious as to how it worked. He examined them under a microscope, and noted hundreds of "hooks" that caught on anything with a loop, such as clothing, animal fur, or hair.[8] He saw the possibility of binding two materials reversibly in a simple fashion,[6] if he could figure out how to duplicate the hooks and loops.
Although De Mestral's idea did not attract much attention the first time, he patented his invention in 1955 after Velcro Industries, which he founded in Switzerland in 1952, and this company worked with a French textile company to improve the Velcro design. By the early 1960s, Velcro had become a household item worldwide, and the Velcro brand was registered in many countries.