Many species of many insects have the ability to walk on water. These insects use the surface tension of the water for this purpose. One of the more complex movements is jumping out of water. In the study, the researchers examined the way the water runners jump
By: Dafna Haim-Langford
In the issue of Science on July 31, 2015, an article was published describing the development of a robot capable of walking on water and even floating to a height from a liquid surface. The robot was developed in collaboration between the Wyss Institute, the Harvard School of Engineering and Seoul University in Korea, inspired by the "water runners" also known as "Jesus bugs".
Many species of many insects have the ability to walk on water. These insects use the surface tension of the water for this purpose. One of the more complex movements is jumping out of water. In the said study, the researchers examined the way the water runners jump. The water runners have two pairs of legs, rear and middle, which are significantly longer than the front ones, and they run on the surface of the water in a symmetrical paddling motion while taking advantage of the surface tension of the water. The researchers photographed the movement of the insects on the surface of the water, including the jumping movement, and after analyzing the mechanics of the movement, they used the findings and developed a robot that is able to jump out of water like the insects.
In order to reach a state of jumping and not a state of drowning, one must press the "surface" of the water with a certain pressure, for an appropriate time and to a specified depth. The water runners do this efficiently and without any sophisticated control system. The research shows that in order to get out of the water in an optimal way, the contact between the limb and the water must be extended as much as possible during the jumping time. The water runners, it turns out, exert on the surface of the water a force equal to 16 times their weight, and it is the maximum force below the threshold where the surface tension of the water will break and they will drown. Many insects such as the water runners are able to perform challenging maneuvers such as flying, floating, swimming, running and even jumping very easily, thanks to a smart morphology and not necessarily to complex cognitive abilities, or as the researchers call it, "physical intelligence". Cracking physical structures will make it possible to build robots with unique maneuvering capabilities without the need for complex calculation and control systems.
The Wyss Institute at Harvard University was established in 2009 with the aim of developing materials and tools inspired by nature to improve the world of medicine. The institute works in cooperation with leading hospitals and with various faculties in the fields of engineering and design. Thanks to the cooperation between engineers and biologists and industrialists, research in various fields has reached commercial maturity in recent years, and has been transferred to further development in industry.
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