Succeeded in the development of a robot that jumps on water surface with a muggy appearance in the world for the first time

In the past studies, "robots floating in water" and "robots walking on water" were developed, but the development of "robots that bounce the surface of water" was not realized. However, on July 31, 2015, researchers at Seoul National University succeeded in developing the world's first "ambiguous robot" that bounces off the water "ScienceIt was announced in the magazine.

Jumping on water: Surface tension-dominated jumping of water striders and robotic insects
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/349/6247/517

You can see how the insect-like robot jumps in the water from the following movie.

The robot water strider jumping off both water and solid surfaces. - YouTube


You can also see how the research was done in the following movie.

The story behind the water-jumping robot - YouTube


It is a small amenbo that is on the water.


Amenbo moves so that it draws around the four legs and bounces water with Pyo.


High air jump.


"Robotic Water Striders" dynamically researched this amenboid's movement and made use of it in robot development.


The movements of Robotic Water Striders are as follows. When you put on water, you use four legs, floating on the surface of water by surface tension.


Four legs sweep the surface of the water ......


In a state like standing up.


It jumps up with Pyon as it is.


Looking at the side view of Robotic Water Striders pushing down the water (left) and the ground (right) feel like the following.


In the case of the water surface, pushing down the water surface with the leg lifts the whole body vigorously.


As the body rises, the force with which the leg pushes down the water decreases ......


It will jump up as it is. Because it specializes in "to jump by making use of surface tension", it is more powerful to put it on the water surface rather than put it on the ground.


The development of Robotic Water Striders began with the observation of the movement of Amenbo with a high-speed camera. At the moment the amenbob jumps off the surface, water is pushed down at the speed of the surface tension being born. At this time, the surface tension increases as the amenbo pushes the leg down, but if the pushing down force is too strongMeniscusI will not be born and the leg will sink in the water. In other words, Amemobo is moving the legs at an exquisite speed, maintaining a balanced balance where a large surface tension is born and the legs do not sink.


Also, simply by moving the legs up and down, the legs easily sink in the water ......


Amenbo also found that by moving the legs inwards, we have extended the time to push down the water surface with the legs.


It is Robotic Water Striders that imitated these amenbo characteristics. Robotic Water Striders have a long leg of 5 cm and a structure is created that keeps strength by using a small heating wire at the center of the main body and strengthens the splashing power.


Although it is unknown at what point the Robotic Water Striders can be applied at the time of article creation, even if it is not put into practical use, it is clarified "How insects move by using surface tension" I think that this research was very profitable.