Scientists Create Robot Able to Jump on Water

Scientists Create Robot Able to Jump on Water

BEIJING - Scientists created a robot that is not only able to walk on the water surface, but also doing the jump. Scientists are reporting development of agile microrobot that can jump to avoid obstacles.

Reported by ScienceDaily, Saturday (28/72012), scientists get funding for the development of the robot through the State Key Laboratory of Robotics, System of Harbin Institute of Technology and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Qinmin Pan and his team explained that scientists have reported some progress toward a small robot that can walk on water.

The robot is able to cross the lake or waters to monitor water quality or act as a tiny spy. Pan said that making a robot with the ability to jump is difficult, because the downward force needed to push it into the air which is usually supported by the use of robot legs through the water surface.

Pan and his team search for new mechanisms and materials to build a robot that can walk on water. Using devices to create a porous support and the two legs to jump. The development team made ​​a robot that can jump with a height of more than 5.5 inches.

At this stage of the experiment, the robot was able to jump to the front near the height of 14 inches. The leap was two times higher than the length of the robot.

The authors reported that the ability to jump will make it more agile microrobot. In addition, more able to avoid obstacles on the water surface.