🪲💧 Ripple #bugs live their entire lives on the surface of streams, pivoting in less than the blink of an eye while stirring the #water beneath them into swirling vortices.

#Biomechanics researcher Víctor Ortega-Jiménez spent five years figuring out their secret: feather-like oars on their middle legs that deploy and collapse in just 10 milliseconds. Engineers are now building small #robots that mimic these water-skating abilities.

👉 Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/ripple-bugs-robots-skate-on-water-fan-feet-vortex-physics?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=new_content&utm_content=ripple_bugs

#biomimicry #physics #engineering #insects #biology #science #animals #Berkeley #discovery #innovation #nature #research #technology #tech #tksst #video