Imagine a tiny robot, no bigger than a leaf, gliding across a pond’s surface like a water strider. One day, devices like this could track pollutants, collect water samples or scout flooded areas too risky for people.
Baoxing Xu, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, is pioneering a way to build them.
In a new study published in Science Advances, Xu’s research introduces HydroSpread, a first-of-its-kind fabrication method that has great potential to impact the growing field of soft robotics. [Read more…] about UVA engineering team develops new way to build soft robots that can walk on water