Once again nature provides a model for the next thing in robot development. This time robots may do the miraculous and walk on water. The technology is based on the surface structure of water strider’s legs. By repelling water, the legs enable the insects to walk across the surface of water. This property is called super-hydrophobia.
For robots to achieve this feat, it seems to me that they would have to have some other properties. Certainly, they would have to be very light weight. Still, this is a fascinating idea. Read the whole story at the link below.
Water Droplet on Super-Hydrophobic Surface: Xiao Cheng Zeng
Popular Science
Robots Borrow Hydro-Repelling Tech from Insect Legs to Walk on Water
Popular Science, NY
By Val Wang Posted 06.02.2009 at 11:19 am 0 Comments A robot that can walk on water: such a miracle is one step closer to reality, thanks to some new research that learns from the work nature has done with water striders. Walking on water may seem like …
Robots Borrow Hydro-Repelling Tech from Insect Legs to Walk on Water – Popular Science
Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:35:01 GMT