Researchers say technology they have developed would let boats or small aquatic robots glide through the water without the need for an engine, sails or paddles.
A University of Pittsburgh research team has designed a propulsion system that uses the natural surface tension that is present on the water's surface and an electric pulse to move the boat or robot, researchers said. The Pitt system has no moving parts and the low-energy electrode that emits the pulse could be powered by batteries, radio waves, or solar power, researchers said in a statement.
The system bio-mimics the propelling skill of some insects that float on the water and move by leaning one way or the other. For example, researchers said they were inspired by the way beetle larvae move on water. Like any floating object, larva resting in the water causes the surface tension to pull equally on both sides. To move forward, the larva bends its back downward to change the tension direction behind it. The forward tension then pulls the larva through the water, said Sung Kwon Cho, senior researcher and a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science in Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering.
One of the system's primary applications could be as a cheap, environment-friendly robot that could traverse the world's oceans, gathering research data, Cho said.
Pitt researchers said that in their experiments, an electrode attached to a 2-centimeter-long "mini-boat" emitted a surge that changed the rear surface tension direction and propelled the boat at roughly 4 millimeters per second. A second electrode attached to the boat's front side served as the rudder.
The Pitt system is similar to the MIT developed robot known as a Robostrider.
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Bogus
There is a copper sheet at the bottom of the tank and the boat is spinning more like it was responding to an electromagnet eddy current developed between the sheet and the electrodes.
possibly...
There's a fuller video on the New Scientist page from one of the links in this article:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16393-mini-boat-travels-by-bending-water.html
but that doesn't make it much clearer. The electrodes on the boat don't seem to be connected to an external source, just connected together. The original paper (also linked in the article) states they use incredibly thin wire so as not to impede the movement of the boat so maybe it's just not visible with the video compression. The copper sheet at the bottom is the 'ground electrode' which this system clearly needs to work.
It's certainly an interesting concept.
Supplied power
Watching the video above I can see a dark line - almost as though a hair were on the lens of the camera - that I presume is the thin lead to power the device. Until I read your comment it almost seemed as though it might be a "hidden" string but power makes more sense given the rep. that's on the line here.
Sap?
Isn't this rather like the trick of putting some sap on the end of a stick to propel it?
Didn't see it.
If you want me to believe the boat was being "propelled" then show it moving in a straight line. What was shown didn't look like anything other than what "anon - Bogus" pointed out. UofPitt, from now on...don't show us anything until you have something to show.
Totally bogus
Surface tension propellant with a sea currents? Give me a break. Last time I checked waves took care of most of the available surface tension on the ocean.
Why can't I see any rippling
Why can't I see any rippling from the movement of the device? Is it even touching the water??
Water?
Do you see any water?
Assuming i did the math right
14.4 meters an hour? was it worth the effort?
Ocean waves of current would move the boat faster i would think. I could see this trying to be passed off a drag reduction device in the future but i would hope no one buys it.
14.4 meters per hour for a
14.4 meters per hour for a 2CM long boat.
For us screwy Americans, if that rate could be sustained on a larger scale, you're looking at over 17mph for a 100 foot long boat. Which is pretty average for a typical 100' sail boat. And this doesn't depend on the wind ;)
At this point though, it's all academic. They've got a long way to go before this could every be considered for transportation. In the short term though, pool cleaning, water treatment facilities, toy companies, etc... may all be interested in their progress.
-Rick
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