SurferBot: A wave-propelled aquatic vibrobot

TL;DR

SurferBot is a low-cost, wave-propelled robotic device inspired by honeybees, demonstrating rectilinear motion on water surfaces through hydrodynamic mechanisms, with potential applications in fluid mechanics research and education.

Contribution

This work introduces SurferBot, a novel vibrating robotic platform that mimics honeybee propulsion at water surfaces, combining bio-inspired design with fluid mechanics insights.

Findings

SurferBot achieves centimeter-per-second speeds.

Propulsive forces are comparable to honeybee forces.

The device offers a platform for studying active particles at fluid interfaces.

Abstract

Nature has evolved a vast array of strategies for propulsion at the air-fluid interface. Inspired by a survival mechanism initiated by the honeybee (Apis mellifera) trapped on the surface of water, we here present the SurferBot: a centimeter-scale vibrating robotic device that self-propels on a fluid surface using analogous hydrodynamic mechanisms as the stricken honeybee. This low-cost and easily assembled device is capable of rectilinear motion thanks to forces arising from a wave-generated, unbalanced momentum flux, achieving speeds on the order of centimeters per second. Owing to the dimensions of the SurferBot and amplitude of the capillary wave field, we find that the magnitude of the propulsive force is similar to that of the honeybee. In addition to a detailed description of the fluid mechanics underpinning the SurferBot propulsion, other modes of SurferBot locomotion are discussed. More broadly, we propose that the SurferBot can be used to explore fundamental aspects of active and driven particles at fluid interfaces, as well as in robotics and fluid mechanics pedagogy.