The idea "Non-stick Velcro" inspired this idea.
Velcro (hook-and-loop fastener) is great but it sticks to things you don't want it to stick to.
So my idea is something that only sticks to its corresponding mate.
The idea is an array of balls on flexible stems. I'll try and illustrate with ascii
art:
....._ ....._......
..../ \..../ \....
....\ /.....\ /....
___| |___| |____
When the bulbous grids are pressed together, the balls of one grid fit between the balls of the other grid and nestle in the spaces between the stems.
The material would be made from moulded plastic, silicone or rubber. The material could be overmoulded over a stronger stem material, e.g. Kevlar fibres.
The mould could be made of an array of crossing rods so they could be removed after the rubber material sets without damaging the bulbous grid. Alternatively, the mould could be made of a solid with a low melting point (e.g Gallium), or even something that sublimes like dry ice.
The array could be a basic square grid, a slightly more interesting triangular or hexagonal grid, a random pattern, or even an aperiodic tiling.