Next-generation cockroach bot walks on water, swims
This bug-sized robot is at home on land, underwater, and skating on the surface tension in between.
Yufeng Chen, Neel Doshi, and Benjamin Goldberg / Harvard University
Cockroaches can survive underwater for up to 30 minutes, but researchers at Harvard University have built a robotic equivalent that can survive for even longer.
Harvard’s Ambulatory Microrobot, known as HAMR, can not only traverse land, it can paddle across the surface of water and walk underwater. This opens up new environments for robots to explore.
As described in a paper in Nature Communications, HAMR uses multifunctional foot pads that can allow the bot to walk on water thanks to the buoyancy induced by surface tension. Using a process called electrowetting, it can also apply a voltage to reduce the angle between the water and its feet to break the water’s surface when HAMR needs to sink.
https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/next-generation-cockroach-bot-walks-on-water-swims
