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Robot Aims To Walk On Water

Posted by kdawson on from the run-actually dept.

qeorqe writes "CMU researchers are developing a robot that runs across water (PDF). It is modeled after the basilisk lizard, which has that rare ability. The researchers have done both computer simulations and experiments with test models."

101 of 125 comments (clear)

  1. I Bet It Sinks by UncleWilly · · Score: 5, Funny

    But if it doesn't, will other roots begin to worship it?

    1. Re:I Bet It Sinks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      But if it doesn't, will other roots begin to worship it? It will first have to convert DC into AC and perform a hard reboot.
    2. Re:I Bet It Sinks by bfischer · · Score: 1

      What is this root worship of which you speak?

    3. Re:I Bet It Sinks by KiloByte · · Score: 2, Funny

      God, root... What's the difference?

      --
      The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
    4. Re:I Bet It Sinks by dvice_null · · Score: 1

      Walking on the water is easy. Just wait for the winter or find a bridge or go standing on your toilet seat.

    5. Re:I Bet It Sinks by vigmeister · · Score: 3, Funny

      God's password is his birthday - that's why he encrypted the origin of the Universe.

      Cheers!

      --
      Atheist: Buddhist in a Prius
    6. Re:I Bet It Sinks by halcyon1234 · · Score: 1

      Actually, it's easy to walk on water if you move fast enough

      --
      UTF-8: There and Back Again
    7. Re:I Bet It Sinks by OhHellWithIt · · Score: 2, Funny

      Not until someone hangs it on a cross.

      --
      "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." -- George Orwell
    8. Re:I Bet It Sinks by Evilest+Doer · · Score: 2, Funny

      God, root... What's the difference?
      Ray, if somebody asks you if you're a Root, you say "Yes"!
      --
      I feel like death on a soda cracker.
    9. Re:I Bet It Sinks by d0rp · · Score: 1

      You can also dodge bullets!

    10. Re:I Bet It Sinks by kd5ujz · · Score: 1

      And only then if it reboots three days later.

      --
      -William
      God is everything science has yet to explain.
    11. Re:I Bet It Sinks by Trent+Hawkins · · Score: 1

      Japan already has such a robot

    12. Re:I Bet It Sinks by capnchicken · · Score: 1

      0 isn't a very good password

      --
      A libertarian shat on my carpet once. Claimed the free market would sort it out. -Ford Prefect(8777)
    13. Re:I Bet It Sinks by vigmeister · · Score: 1

      It is if you don't know the format...

      Cheers!

      --
      Atheist: Buddhist in a Prius
    14. Re:I Bet It Sinks by Danny+Rathjens · · Score: 1

      You took out the Russian accent. :)

      <sfx origin="Pitr's keyboard" "tap tap">
      <voice origin="Mike" "I swear you must think you're some kind of god.">
      <sfx origin="Pitr's keyboard" "tappy tappy">
      <voice origin="Pitr" "God, root, what is difference?">
      --User Friendly

  2. Already done by Ohreally_factor · · Score: 4, Funny

    Bah! Apple has already built a phone that can walk on water. This is just a phone with arms and legs.

    --
    It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.
    1. Re:Already done by MECC · · Score: 1

      Actually, someone tried, and the iPhone can't walk on water.

      --
      "We are all geniuses when we dream"
      - E.M. Cioran
    2. Re:Already done by ArsenneLupin · · Score: 1
      From that article:

      Naturally, if you drop an iPhone anywhere in publicon the street, in an office, etc.you run the risk of someone stepping on the phone. Or more likely: of someone stealing it...
  3. Basilisk by Enderandrew · · Score: 2, Funny

    The robot also turns you to stone, but don't fear. Harry Potter will slay it with a sword.

    --
    http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
    1. Re:Basilisk by GammaKitsune · · Score: 1

      Potter killed it, Mal. Killed it with a sword. How weird is that?

      --
      Gamertag: WyleType
  4. neat trick. by apodyopsis · · Score: 2, Insightful

    its a neat trick, but are there any commercial applications?

    where does a robot that walks on water succeed over an autonomous boat?

    I mean, at least when they developed the technological equivalent of the geckos foot they had very sound commercial applications in mind. As robot amphibious platforms go this has just got to be inefficient and unreliable.

    1. Re:neat trick. by Eivind · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Unknown. But the paper hypothesises that it may be possible to build robots that can move efficiently over land *and* water, using bipedal or quadroped legged walking for both. I don't think it's *that* hard to see possible applications for this. I bet the military could imagine a few, for starters. (and that tends to be a good start for robotics, lots of stuff that are today commonplace started out as military projects. Jet-planes anyone ?

    2. Re:neat trick. by Joebert · · Score: 1

      Basilisks have a strange sense of humor, they sometimes took the messages to the emeny during testing.

      --
      Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
    3. Re:neat trick. by Klanglor · · Score: 1

      Segway will buy it and sell it as the Segway2. Modern Amphibous transportation. by year 2050. wings will be added and people will mod the skin to make it look like dragons and hence the dragon riders shall be reborn. By 2075 a virus will take over all those beast and a new breed of dragon slayers will be born, armed with emp guns. imagine all the $$$$$$

    4. Re:neat trick. by Random+Destruction · · Score: 3, Funny

      Military indeed. I can think of few things more frightening than a motion tracking quadrupedal robot running across a river at you, guns blazing.

      --
      :x
    5. Re:neat trick. by jamesh · · Score: 1

      where does a robot that walks on water succeed over an autonomous boat?

      Presumably our new water walking robot overlords won't need to be as waterproof?

    6. Re:neat trick. by mblase · · Score: 1

      where does a robot that walks on water succeed over an autonomous boat?

      Well, for starters, an autonomous boat can't walk on land.

    7. Re:neat trick. by boyfaceddog · · Score: 1

      Yes, by golly. I can't think of any reason why anyone would want an all terain gun platform, uh, robot.

      Sorry, just can't help myself.

      --
      Here will be an old abusing of God's patience and the king's English.
    8. Re:neat trick. by MrNaz · · Score: 1

      Dude, this is Slashdot. What the hell do you *think* everyone here wants a robot maid to do?

      --
      I hate printers.
    9. Re:neat trick. by ruben.gutierrez · · Score: 1

      I think repairing autonomous boats would be a commercial application. Give the robot the ability to freely move about the entire boat (in and out of water).

    10. Re:neat trick. by TheLink · · Score: 1

      Uh. Run Linux?

      The more ambitious ones will want a beowulf cluster of robot maids.

      Think about it: Robot maid clustering with high performance interconnects and NUMA[1]...

      [1] Non Uniformed Maid Access?

      Erm, shower time...

      --
    11. Re:neat trick. by Belial6 · · Score: 1

      That's what I was thinking. The terror of seeing your unfeeling, inhuman attacker run on water would be... well, terrifying. I'm thinking that it would be so shocking that if that scene were put into a sci-fi movie today, it would bet universally panned as totally unrealistic.

    12. Re:neat trick. by geekoid · · Score: 1

      To fire a weapon of reasonable caliber would take too much weight. I doubt this is a practical application.
      Tracking, recon, autonomous small package delivery. Medical supplies, information, bombs.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  5. Re:oooh by weicco · · Score: 2, Funny

    I thought just the same. How is this even on Slashdot? This is obviously 2007 year old dupe! Hardly newsworthy...

    --
    You don't know what you don't know.
  6. If you'd like to see it... by chub_mackerel · · Score: 4, Informative

    Here's a video (of the lizard not the robot):

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhsxo7vY8ac

    1. Re:If you'd like to see it... by Tomun · · Score: 3, Funny

      Heres an even better video, driving on water:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD0hN-96ypE

    2. Re:If you'd like to see it... by fatphil · · Score: 3, Informative

      And the same in laboratory conditions, using a high speed camera:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVVcWafi-MU

      --
      Also FatPhil on SoylentNews, id 863
    3. Re:If you'd like to see it... by Zaatxe · · Score: 1

      I'm not allowed to access Youtube from work, you insensitive clods!
      (Although my boss got very impressed for me being eligible for mod points in Slashdot...)

      --
      So say we all
  7. Re:oooh by somersault · · Score: 4, Informative

    You could at least do the meme thingy justice..

    I [important]for one[/important] will be the first to welcome our new hydroplanetic cyberlizard overlords

    --
    which is totally what she said
  8. holy robot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    BEDEVERE: What also floats in water?
    VILLAGER:Bread!
    VILLAGER:Apples!
    VILLAGER:Uh, very small rocks!
    VILLAGER:Mud!
    VILLAGER:Uh, churches! Churches!
    VILLAGER:Lead! Lead!
    ARTHUR:A duck!
    CROWD:Oooh.
    BEDEVERE:Exactly. So, logically... if this robot float on water, then it is made of wood

  9. Easy by CmdrGravy · · Score: 1

    I can already walk on water, I think these robots are a pointless abomination.

  10. It's amphibious by Colin+Smith · · Score: 1

    where does a robot that walks on water succeed over an autonomous boat? Course, there have been amphibious vehicles for years.
    --
    Deleted
  11. I know why by tsa · · Score: 3, Funny

    At first I thought: 'Cool, but why would they want to do that?' Now it's clear to me: a robot that can carry a man over water in style is very useful when suddenly you are overcome by global warming. I live in the Netherlands, and I think I will need such a machine fairly soon.

    --

    -- Cheers!

    1. Re:I know why by krazo · · Score: 1

      It's actually so we have one less means of escape when the robots take over.

      They can already walk, climb stairs, drive cars and there's the one who thinks humans taste like bacon.

      I'm just hoping no one invents a robot that can climb trees or all that practice in my backyard will be for nothing.

    2. Re:I know why by tsa · · Score: 1

      Sorry, but...

      --

      -- Cheers!

    3. Re:I know why by tsa · · Score: 1

      Wow I first posted the link and then watched the video. That thing looks very creepy.

      --

      -- Cheers!

  12. learning about the lizards by Takichi · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I encourage people to actually read the article. It breaks down the mechanics of the basilisk's run cycle quite nicely. It has some really nice images and graphs illustrating it, too. I know it's a lot to ask, but at least look at the pictures in the article! By the way, they point out that learning more about the way the basilisk actually runs on water is one of the merits of the paper.

  13. It's all well and good, but... by IBBoard · · Score: 1

    It's all well and good planning on making a quadrupedal robot with the potential for it being a personnel-carrying vehicle, but what about the ride itself? Especially when it has to run on water I can't imagine it being particularly smooth (like, for example, how the basilisk they're modelling twists its body).

    1. Re:It's all well and good, but... by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

      Also, it's one thing to make a 70 cm, 80 gram, lizard walk on water. It's a completely different story to get a 2 metre, 4000 pound (my guess, cargo included) personel carrier to walk on water. Just getting the machine to move fast enough is going to require a whole lot of power. The feet would have to be huge, and cause lots of air resistance when trying to move them. Just because an ant can lift 50 times it's own weight, doesn't mean you can build a pickup truck that can do the same.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    2. Re:It's all well and good, but... by Ticklemonster · · Score: 1

      Aha! It's a non submersible martini mixer for James Bond!

      --
      Karma: Bad is the liberal way of saying this guy won't drink the kool aid here on slash dot. I wear my Karma with pride
  14. Been done. by Kurayamino-X · · Score: 3, Funny

    Though, with wall-climbing buggies and a snowmobile, not a robot.
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=-QBiBcK96Bs

    --
    ...I got nothing.
  15. It had better sink.. by rockypg · · Score: 1

    .. when it stops running. Otherwise it is a Duck, not a basilisk

  16. An interesting question actually by archeopterix · · Score: 4, Insightful

    its a neat trick, but are there any commercial applications?

    where does a robot that walks on water succeed over an autonomous boat?
    This question becomes interesting when you point it back at the lizard. Why does it walk on water instead of just swimming? My guess is that it's energy-efficient since it only has to overcome the viscosity of the air, not water.
    1. Re:An interesting question actually by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      This question becomes interesting when you point it back at the lizard. Why does it walk on water instead of just swimming?
      We can go further. Why does it go across water at all? Why not stay where it was born and raised, rather than pursue questionable gains across the pond? Scientists are so busy wondering whether they can get a robot to walk across water, that they forget to question whether the robot should.
    2. Re:An interesting question actually by UnanimousCoward · · Score: 1

      Same reason that a dog licks its you-know-what...

      --
      Twelve-and-three-quarter inches. Unyielding. This wand belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange.
    3. Re:An interesting question actually by aadvancedGIR · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I would bet the #1 reason is that it tries to avoid being eaten by a fish.

    4. Re:An interesting question actually by jamesh · · Score: 1

      Of course... because it doesn't have hands!

    5. Re:An interesting question actually by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      To get rid of the taste of dogfood?

    6. Re:An interesting question actually by UbuntuDupe · · Score: 1

      Yes, but doesn't walking on water introduce a huge inefficiency in itself? From what I remember, the reason that this lizard can walk on water is because of the surface tension, combined with the fact that it weighs so little. Surface tension can only support so much! So yes, you'd be more efficient in one respect, but you'd have to make the robots really small, limiting what they can do.

      --
      Apology to Ubuntu forum.
    7. Re:An interesting question actually by archeopterix · · Score: 1

      From what I remember, the reason that this lizard can walk on water is because of the surface tension, combined with the fact that it weighs so little.
      I don't think that the surface tension alone is sufficient to keep the lizard above water. It's rather the speed of its feet moving downwards and the speed of its feet moving back up, before the water closes above the foot.
    8. Re:An interesting question actually by SatanicPuppy · · Score: 1

      Well, no, there are other options. You could increase the surface area of whatever part is in contact with the water, or you could increase the speed at which it makes contact.

      At a sufficiently high speed water is about as solid as cement, so there is no limit to weight as long as you can make it hit the water fast/hard enough.

      --
      ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
    9. Re:An interesting question actually by White+Yeti · · Score: 1

      I've seen this "Jesus Christ Lizard" (Google's first hit) on TV. It seems like it runs on water for only a short distance before dropping to swim, and it's using its big webbed feet to stay up rather than surface tension. It runs on the water to escape being eaten by critters on land, so it's betting the water is safer than the land.

      I'm waiting for a R/C robostrider.

    10. Re:An interesting question actually by grimdawg · · Score: 1

      Lizards are cold-blooded, right?

      My guess is that it's not too great with getting wet and keeping warm.

      --
      There are 10 kinds of people in this world: those who understand binary, and nine other kinds of people.
    11. Re:An interesting question actually by ChrisMaple · · Score: 2, Funny

      Why does it go across water at all?
      To get to the other side.
      --
      Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
    12. Re:An interesting question actually by archeopterix · · Score: 1

      Lizards are cold-blooded, right?

      My guess is that it's not too great with getting wet and keeping warm.


      Water snakes have no such problems, but well - maybe the lizard lives at cooler waters.
    13. Re:An interesting question actually by Deliveranc3 · · Score: 1

      "Why did the Lizard Cross the Pond?"
      "To get to the other side..."

      That joke is NEVER getting stale :P

  17. Pastafarianism by n3tcat · · Score: 1, Funny

    Could this be the arrival of the Son of the Flying Spaghetti Monster? It was intelligently designed, after all.

  18. It will walk on water... by mattoo · · Score: 1, Redundant

    ..but will it run on linux?

    1. Re:It will walk on water... by PPH · · Score: 1

      ..but will it run on linux?
      Of course. They tried Windows but it kept sinking in the Blue Swamp Of Death.
      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
  19. Obligatory Futurama Quote by ari_j · · Score: 3, Funny

    Fry: (to a robot at a Bot Mitzvah) So, you don't believe in Robot Jesus?

    Jewish robot: We believe that he existed, and that he was a very well-built robot, but he was not our Messiah.

  20. Basilisks are dangerous... by meringuoid · · Score: 1

    ... but there are worse things. Cockatrices, for instance. Handle with care. Extreme care.

    --
    Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
  21. Yeah ... by krou · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... but can it turn it into wine?

    At least we'll be too drunk to care when they get self-replication. I, for one, *hic* ...

    --
    'If Christ had tweeted the sermon on the mount, it might have lasted until nightfall.' - John Perry Barlow
  22. I'm still waiting for the Car that runs on water by willki · · Score: 1

    The Government, man, they have this car that runs on water.

  23. Re:oooh by streetphantom · · Score: 1, Funny

    I must be new here.

  24. here lizard lizard lizard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    A picture (since the .pdf link seems to be down at the moment):

    http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2006-04-05/04 06plizard-a.jpg

    And another link:

    http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_4 40639.html

  25. Robot wars... by vigmeister · · Score: 3, Funny

    How about a robot that parts water? Then we can have "BattleBots: Judeo-Christian Wars".

    Cheers!

    --
    Atheist: Buddhist in a Prius
  26. Re:oooh by rekked · · Score: 2, Funny

    Isn't the Galactic Pope a lizard itself?

  27. Watercross by mdsolar · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Seems to me that they could reach their goal faster by mimicking the lizard more closely. Watercross http://www.iwausa.org/ works basically by slapping the water already. Just automate and you are there.
    --
    Solar power with no installation cost: http://mdsolar.blogspot.com/2007/01/slashdot-users -selling-solar.html

    1. Re:Watercross by mashade · · Score: 1

      Good lord! That's the biggest block of blinking text I've seen since '99!

      --
      Technology tips and tricks.
  28. AOL by NRISecretAgent · · Score: 1

    I just got an image of the AOL/AIM guy running across water in all his yellow glory... gah!

  29. Re:oooh by alx5000 · · Score: 1

    So if I'm drowning will I finally get to cry "Save me, Jebus"???

    --
    My 0.02 cents
  30. Re:oooh by midwestnets · · Score: 1

    Strange that he would come back in robot form and his mom would come back in shark form. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/07 0524-shark-virgin.html

  31. No! It should be... by Gription · · Score: 1

    48 61 6C 6C 65 6C 75 6A 61 68

    1. Re:No! It should be... by Scaba · · Score: 1

      I think it would be 01001000011000010110110001101100011001010110110001 110101011010100110000101101000.

      Bender: Ahhh, what an awful dream. Ones and zeroes everywhere... and I thought I saw a two.
      Fry: Don't worry Bender, there's no such thing as two.
    2. Re:No! It should be... by ShieldW0lf · · Score: 1

      Canadian Loons do this too. They can't take off without speed, so they run across the surface of the lake until they're going fast enough.

      I used to sit around watching them when I was a kid. Funny as hell when they're tearing across the lake like the devils on their tail, then they trip over a wave, face plant and disappear.

      --
      -1 Uncomfortable Truth
    3. Re:No! It should be... by Gription · · Score: 1

      I think it would be 01001000011000010110110001101100011001010110110001 110101011010100110000101101000.

      Canadian Loons do this too. They can't take off without speed, so they run across the surface of the lake until they're going fast enough.

      I used to sit around watching them when I was a kid. Funny as hell when they're tearing across the lake like the devils on their tail, then they trip over a wave, face plant and disappear. Loons speak binary? But they don't have enough MHZ to process it unless they run?

      I think you might be a confused loon... (and I don't think you can speak binary no matter how fast you run.
  32. More Importantly . . . by SpeedyGonz · · Score: 2, Funny

    . . . Will it blend?

  33. Re:I'm still waiting for the Car that runs on wate by thc69 · · Score: 1

    Oh, I see what you did there...

    --
    Procrastination -- because good things come to those who wait.
  34. Sweet Robot Jesus! by Eli+Gottlieb · · Score: 1

    I showed this to my robot, and he says he might actually convert from Robot Judaism! Thank you, CMU, you've saved an electronic soul. Err... hard-disk image.

  35. Text by Kozar_The_Malignant · · Score: 1

    Good lord! That's the biggest block of blinking text I've seen since '99!

    Indeed. The op-art red text on blue background is pretty retro as well. You just don't see much of the reverse, blinking magenta text on chartreuse background thing any more...thank God.

    --
    Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
  36. Hey! I already patented this... by Mr.+Vage · · Score: 1

    I have the diagram to prove it. http://www.infovisual.info/05/img_en/054%20Boat.jp g

  37. Researchers Choose Name! by ninjapiratemonkey · · Score: 1

    In a stunning advancement in the basilisk robot development, the researchers have decided to name this new robot the "HOVERCRAFT".

    --
    01110000 01010111 01101110 00110011 01100100
  38. Because rooster eggs are so common? by blueZ3 · · Score: 1

    Face it, basilisks (born from a rooster's egg hatched by a serpent) are an endangered species. If Harry Potter kills one, that would definitely spoil things. :-)

    --
    Interested in a Flash-based MAME front end? Visit mame.danzbb.com
  39. which begs the question by Tmack · · Score: 1

    Why does it go across water at all? Why not stay where it was born and raised, rather than pursue questionable gains across the pond? Scientists are so busy wondering whether they can get a robot to walk across water, that they forget to question whether the robot should.

    Why did the robot cross the pond?

    Tm

    --
    Support TBI Research: http://www.raisinhope.org
  40. Re:I for one by Zaatxe · · Score: 1

    Ha! That's nothing! In Soviet Russia, water walks on YOU!

    --
    So say we all
  41. Re:oooh by GammaKitsune · · Score: 1

    Crocodylus Pontifex

    --
    Gamertag: WyleType
  42. Wha? by Tarlus · · Score: 1

    Robot Aims To Walk On Water

    ...developing a robot that walks across water... Well, which one is it? Walk or run?
    --
    /* No Comment */
  43. This just in: cool sounding research gets more $!! by syn1kk · · Score: 1

    This just in: cool sounding research gets more money than useful research!!!

  44. Finnally, water travel! by pinkstuff · · Score: 1

    [sarcasm]Finally, human kind will be able to travel across the seas![/sarcasm]

  45. already done: with a car! by Gunstick · · Score: 1

    Ok, it's not a robot, but it drives on water without using any floatation device

    yeah, Top Gear! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QBiBcK96Bs

    Georges

    --
    Atari rules... ermm... ruled.
  46. I wonder... by Bieeanda · · Score: 1

    So this robot's been developed by a guy named Floyd. I wonder if it will want to play Hucka-Bucka-Beanstalk?