Kirigami, the ancient Japanese art of cutting paper, has been adapted by researchers at Virginia Tech to make sticky tape much stronger, yet easier to remove than current super-adhesives.

From quickly fixing household items to ensuring a reliable seal on a package to be mailed, it's helpful to have tape with a strong bond—but removing it may only be possible by scraping—and hoping surface pieces don't tear away.

Professor Michael Bartlett's university team succeeded in massively increasing the adhesive bond but also make the substance easily removable.