The team, led by Qinmin Pan, created the robot to mimic the water-strider, an insect whose front wing is only half function and is built to transfer its body weight in order to run on the water’s ...

You may think that water strider insects move across the water's surface simply by wiggling their legs, but they actually utilize what is known as the Maragoni effect. Scientists have now utilized the ...

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that can cause big problems when they enter the water supply. One way my fluid dynamics lab explores microplastic movement is by studying how tiny ...

One of those animals is the water strider, an insect which utilizes pulsating movements to scoot across the water's surface. Presently measuring just 20 mm long by 5 mm wide, the robot's body takes ...

One robot weighs 55 milligrams, while its parter is just 5 milligrams. Developed by a team of WSU researchers and recently presented at the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society’s International ...

Eric Mack has been a CNET contributor since 2011. Eric and his family live 100% energy and water independent on his off-grid compound in the New Mexico desert. Eric uses his passion for writing about ...

(a) The system consisted of six parts as follows: (1) a force transducer; (2) a BAP; (3) a fixture; (4) a high-speed camera; (5) a pool; and (6) a data acquisition system. (b) Photo of the BAP. (c) ...

Water striders live on the water surface and their leg length ranges from several to over 100 millimeters (Fig. 1,2). It is well known that they use their long hydrophobic legs and support their ...

Watch for water striders on warm spring days. Often mistaken for spiders, water striders are insects, and play a beneficial role in aquatic ecosystems. On warm, late-winter and early-spring days look ...

The last time I wrote about water striders, it was the middle of the summer. I was sitting by a pond battling mosquitoes while watching them skate across the surface of the pond. I love how fast they ...

When I was a boy I often fished in a small creek not far from home. By September the water would be so low I could get in the creek bed and rock-hop from pool to pool until I was close enough to ...