Water-walking robot doesn’t drown in water

Nature has always been the inspiration for a lot of man-made creations, and one of the latest robot creations from China imitates water-walking insects such as the mosquito and water spider. Those insects are able to walk and even jump on water without drowning due to their highly water-repellent legs. With that in mind, the water-walking robot was designed.

With a body that is about 6″ long, it features 10 water-repellent supporting wire legs and 2 movable, oar-like legs propelled by two mini motors that let it move around like a real water strider. It is capable of moving at about 6″ per second, standing on water, and turning freely without sinking. Other than to prove that scientists are capable of creating such robots, I don’t see any practical purposes for such robots – at least for now. I guess it’s just good to know that if we ever need water strider robots in the future, we won’t have to worry about having to develop them.