By mimicking muscle actuation to control cavity-pressure-induced adhesion of octopus suckers, smart adhesive pads are developed in which the thermo-responsive actuation of a hydrogel layer on elastomeric microcavity pads enables excellent switchable adhesion in response to a thermal stimulus (maximum adhesive strength: 94 kPa, adhesion switching ratio: approximate to 293 for temperature change between 22 and 61 degrees C).