First, we had Jesus to walk on water. Then we had the water strider, able to glide and bounce on water freely without falling in. And now, we have a robot to do it too.
Robots that are able to stay on the surface of water are not new. However, most older robots cannot actually maneuver and bounce up and down on the surface of the water, which this robot can do. This ability is revolutionary, because with it, robots can do a variety of more tasks without fear of falling in, including pollution and environmental monitoring as well as surveillance missions.
The robot itself is only six inches long and it weighs almost 1,000 times the weight of a real water strider. It has five carbon-fiber arms with superhydrophobic nickel pads on the ends. This material resists contact with water so much that it forms an air bubble under the pads, preventing the robot from sinking.
Three of the legs are for balancing the robot, while the other two are spring-loaded. These allow the robot to jump almost 6 inches upwards into the air and 14 inches forwards at 3.6 miles per hour.
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