Spider-Man suits that make it possible for people to climb up the outside of skyscrapers will be a reality within a decade, researchers forecast.

Nanotubes – tiny “hooks” that grip minute imperfections in solid surfaces – could be built into gloves and shoes, giving them enough adhesive force to hold a man’s weight.

The holding power of gloves would depend on the number of contact points. Because nanotubes are so tiny, billions of them could be built into hand-sized fabric. Gloves with a palm surface of 31 sq ins (200 sq cm) could support 14 men, each weighing 13 stone (83kg), dangling from a ceiling. The grip of the gloves could be released with little effort by a peeling motion, which would break the adhesion little by little.

As well as being a gift to cat burglars and thrill-seekers, the gloves would be invaluable in extreme environments, such as space, where a firm grip can be a matter of life or death.

Professor Nicola Pugno, of the Polytechnic of Turin, has worked out a formula for the adhesive power of the technology and he predicted yesterday that the first Spider-Man suit will be created by 2017.

He said that the nanotubes would combine three adhesive forces: friction from the tubes; van der Waals adhesion, which relies on the principle that tiny substances are attracted to bigger objects and enables the tiny hairs on the feet of geckos to stick to walls and ceilings; and capillary adhesion, which is seen in a glass of water when the edge of the liquid is pulled slightly higher than the rest.

Professor Pugno reported the formula in the Journal of Physics, published by the Institute of Physics, and said that a surface consisting of carbon nanotubes had 200 times the holding power of a gecko’s foot. He added: “It may not be long before we are seeing people climbing up the Empire State Building with nothing but sticky shoes and gloves to support them.”

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