the engineers studied the mechanics behind the water strider, an insect that can easily jump upwards from a pond. It's an ability that's poorly understood in insects in general, so trying to recreate it in machines has the beneficial side effect of improving our understanding of the insects themselves.
The trick, according to an analysis of a high-speed film of water striders, is to push down on the water with the maximum velocity that the surface tension can take. The further the insect's leg pushes down, the greater the surface tension that builds under the leg and the better the upward jump. But if the leg pushes too far, the meniscus—the curved water surface—can't take it and gives way, allowing the leg to sink.
To leap joyfully from a pond, then, it's necessary to find the optimal balance: push down hard enough to make maximum use of the surface tension, but not so hard that you rupture it. The water strider seems to do this by rotating its middle and hind legs, rather than just pushing them downwards, which keeps its legs in contact with the water for longer, giving it more time to interact with the surface and build momentum.
Next up, dynamic brachiation?
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2015, @10:56AM
If it doesn't run Linux, let that fucker sink.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2015, @09:41PM
They tried Windoze, but after a BSOD it had an epileptic seizure.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2015, @09:57PM
Hey, fuckwit. You know the "doze" in Windoze refers to a DOS heritage that Windows hasn't been based upon for the past fifteen years, right? Upgrade your fucking insult to NT already.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2015, @10:33PM
Er, Um... Deep in the code it's still DOS.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2015, @12:06PM
I can walk on water and I can raise the dead
I can walk on water and I can raise the dead
I can walk on water and I can raise the dead
It's easy
I'm the way
(Score: 2) by davester666 on Sunday August 02 2015, @06:33PM
Satan, is that you?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2015, @07:33PM
Jeez, stop bragging already...
(Score: 3, Funny) by number6 on Sunday August 02 2015, @02:13PM
I am the resident 'Mr. Fixit' at my local community boxing gym for over a decade. I maintain and modify all the equipment and of course I train there myself.
If you have applied yourself to the training methods and locomotive actions of boxing for a long enough time --many many years and millions of repetitions-- there will come a day where everything is performed instinctively. I have reached this level of awareness and, being a naturally analytical guy, my observations align pretty much exactly with what is written in the summary about the insect, namely generation of perfect action with instinctive homogenous control of balance, force, timing, rhythm, linear and rotational momentum and impulse.
It's really hard or impossible to fully understand this relationship between the insect's abilities and boxing unless you have physically felt it for yourself. A sixth sense comes into play which instantly computes lightness, heaviness, yield pressure, contact sensitivity, relaxation state and other properties of yourself and the physical domain.