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Water-walking devices

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Abstract

We report recent efforts in the design and construction of water-walking machines inspired by insects and spiders. The fundamental physical constraints on the size, proportion and dynamics of natural water-walkers are enumerated and used as design criteria for analogous mechanical devices. We report devices capable of rowing along the surface, leaping off the surface and climbing menisci by deforming the free surface. The most critical design constraint is that the devices be lightweight and non-wetting. Microscale manufacturing techniques and new man-made materials such as hydrophobic coatings and thermally actuated wires are implemented. Using high-speed cinematography and flow visualization, we compare the functionality and dynamics of our devices with those of their natural counterparts.

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Acknowledgments

JWMB gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the NSF through Career Grant CTS-0130465; DLH likewise through an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship. MP acknowledge financial support of NSF Grant CCR-0122419.

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Author notes

  1. David L. Hu

    Present address: The Courant Institute, New York University, New York, NY, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

    David L. Hu & John W. M. Bush

  2. Center for Bits and Atoms, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Manu Prakash

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Brian Chan

Authors
  1. David L. Hu
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  2. Manu Prakash
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  3. Brian Chan
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  4. John W. M. Bush
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to John W. M. Bush.

Electronic supplementary material

Three supplementary videos document the dynamics of our devices.

Supplementary Video S1: The mechanical rower R1 sculling at thefree surface. The surface de ections that support the device's weight are indicated by the shadows cast beneath the device. Video played at 1/20 real time. Body length, 9 cm. (MOV 30.5 MB)

348_2007_339_MOESM2_ESM.mov

Supplementary Video S2: The mechanical leaper RL leaping horizon-tally. Note that the generation of droplets indicates the dominance of uid inertia over surface tension. Video played at 1/100 real time. Unfurled body length, 1 cm. (MOV 14.8 MB)

Supplementary Video S3: The mechanical meniscus-climber RC. Thebending of the climber generates a de ection of the free surface, as indicated by the enlargement of the shadows cast beneath the device. Video played in real time. Body length, 3.5 cm. (MOV 16.1 MB)

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Hu, D.L., Prakash, M., Chan, B. et al. Water-walking devices. Exp Fluids 43, 769–778 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-007-0339-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-007-0339-6

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