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Science & Technology

Team develops water-walking robot insects

By T.K. Randall
August 2, 2015 · Comment icon 2 comments

Researchers demonstrate their water-walking robots in a tank. Image Credit: YouTube / Harvard University
Researchers from South Korea and the US have created a robot that is capable of walking on water.
The tiny robot works in much the same way as its real-life counterparts - water strider insects - which are able to stay afloat because their downward force never exceeds the surface tension of the water.

Measuring 2cm in length, each one is built from thin layers of material folded in to a 'v' shape with a spring running across it that when released enables the robots to jump in to the air.
Their design was based on studies of actual water striders found at a local pond.

"To explore [their] amazing semi-aquatic motility, we collected [the insects] and recorded them jumping on water in the laboratory with high-speed cameras," the researchers wrote.

It is hoped that in the future it may be possible to use robotic insects like these to monitor pollution along streams and rivers where conventional monitoring equipment can be difficult to set up.



Source: BBC News | Comments (2)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by Anomalocaris 9 years ago
Jesusbot
Comment icon #2 Posted by Infernal Gnu 9 years ago
EXCELLENT! The next step is to weaponize these wee silicon beasties and place them under the command and control of artificially intelligent autonomous drones and they can then begin eliminating all the inferior bipedal carbon-based lifeforms worldwide. We will have no place to hide on land, sea or air. Alas, all the "primitive and backward" Luddites seem to have been quite prescient...


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