Friday 4 March 2011

STRIDEs (Surface Tension Robotic Insect Dynamic Explorer)


Growing up we used to go to the lake and see these bugs, called water striders on the water.  They were really cool and it was always fascinating to watch them skip on the water.  I tried doing that.  It didn't work.  But the water striders were also fascinating to someone else.  He made a robot of emulated to these water striders which allows them to skim on the surface of the water seamlessly (unlike me). Click below for the full story.

Robot walks on water

Water striders, insects that walk on the surface of the water, may never set foot on land in their lives, and yet they’re not swimmers. Over the past million or so years, this insect—sometimes called a water skater—has optimized its use of surface tension to balance its 0.01-gram body on lakes, ponds, and even oceans.