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Boat Moves Without an Engine Or Sails

Posted by samzenpus on from the watching-too-much-seaquest dept.

coondoggie writes "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."

10 of 234 comments (clear)

  1. Better Article by Selanit · · Score: 5, Informative

    The New Scientist article on this topic is more informative. Among other things, it's got a video of the test mini-robot boat in action.

    The water in the testing tank is very still -- there are few or no ripples. I wonder if the approach will actually work on, say, the ocean? If your propulsion system depends on steady contact with the water surface, waves are going to be a problem.

    1. Re:Better Article by YourExperiment · · Score: 5, Funny

      Raising the rear end of a RORO ship or passenger cruiser a millimetre or two isn't going to have much of an effect, methinks.

      RORORO your ship,
      Gently down a slope,
      Surface tension's far too weak,
      The whole idea is broke.

  2. primary school chemistry, anyone? by arth1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We made boats that moved by weakening the surface tension back in primary school.
    Stick a piece of soap on the stern of a paper "boat", and it is propelled forward.

    However, I can't see how the surface tension would be strong enough to drive a full sized boat at any speed. At best you're talking about a few millimetres elevation difference between the bow and stern, if the water is very salty and there's absolutely no wind or currents causing waves.

  3. Boat moves without engine, paddles or sails by MichaelTheDrummer · · Score: 5, Funny

    commonly known as 'drifting'

  4. Yes but.. by Reed+Solomon · · Score: 5, Funny

    How effective is it at killing Manatees, hobo's of the sea?

    I refuse to use any sort of boat that doesn't maim or injure an endangered species. That's just the kind of forward thinking person I am.

  5. Re:Oblig by jd · · Score: 5, Funny

    In this case, it should be "does it run in Linux". (The answer is no. The surface tension is too low. The kernel mailing list tension, on the other hand, would be perfect.)

    --
    It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
  6. "Boat Moves Without an Engine Or Sails" by overcaffein8d · · Score: 5, Funny

    Boat Moves Without an Engine Or Sails

    the vikings fixed this problem long ago.

    --
    Those of us who think they know everything annoy those of us who do.
  7. Re:Can't MHD already do this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    MHD: Magnetohydrodynamics, for those that don't remember obscure acronyms.

  8. Re:Is it the Red October? by MooUK · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's even lower energy!

  9. The rime of the ancient mariner (Iron Maiden) by nomorecwrd · · Score: 5, Informative

    There, calls the Mariner,
    there comes a ship over the line
    But how can she sail with no wind
    in her sails and no tide.

    (Based on "The rime of the ancient mariner" [1797 - 1798] by Samuel Taylor Coleridge )

    Any other Iron Maiden fans out there in ./?
    ...
    hello?