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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."

31 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 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.
    3. 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
    4. 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
    5. 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.
  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.
  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.
  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 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: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
  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. 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!

  10. 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.

  11. 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.
  12. 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 aadvancedGIR · · Score: 3, Insightful

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

    3. 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
  13. 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.

  14. 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
  15. 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

  16. 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
  17. Re:oooh by rekked · · Score: 2, Funny

    Isn't the Galactic Pope a lizard itself?

  18. 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

  19. More Importantly . . . by SpeedyGonz · · Score: 2, Funny

    . . . Will it blend?