Chinese researchers have announced a microbot that can repeatedly jump across the surface of water without tanking. The researchers from the country's School of Chemical Engineering and Technology used a highly repellent foam coating so that the strider-like bot's legs are able to stay afloat with every 14 cm leap it makes.
However, even the most advanced designs – including one from Pan's team last year – can only walk on water. Real aquatic striders actually leap, notes Pan. It's difficult to make a jumping robot because the downward force needed to propel it into the air usually pushes the legs through the water's surface. To overcome the challenge, Pan's group looked for novel mechanisms and materials to build a true water-striding robot.
With the use of a porous, super water-repellant nickel foam, the group made a robot that could leap more than 14 cms (5.5 inches), despite weighing as much as 1,100 water striders.
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