Controllable water surface to underwater transition through electrowetting in a hybrid terrestrial-aquatic microrobot

TLDR

Animal species exhibit remarkable locomotion on land, water, and underwater, and a hybrid terrestrial‑aquatic robot must reconcile multimodal strategies to navigate these environments. The study reports a 1.6‑g quadrupedal microrobot capable of walking on land, swimming on water, and transitioning between the two. The robot relies on surface tension and buoyancy for support, uses passive flaps to generate differential drag for forward motion and turning, employs electrowetting to lower the contact angle and break the water surface for entry, and incorporates design modifications that enable it to overcome surface tension and climb inclines to return to land. Results demonstrate that microrobots can achieve unique locomotive capabilities by exploiting their small size, mesoscale fabrication, and surface‑effect mechanisms.

Abstract

Several animal species demonstrate remarkable locomotive capabilities on land, on water, and under water. A hybrid terrestrial-aquatic robot with similar capabilities requires multimodal locomotive strategies that reconcile the constraints imposed by the different environments. Here we report the development of a 1.6 g quadrupedal microrobot that can walk on land, swim on water, and transition between the two. This robot utilizes a combination of surface tension and buoyancy to support its weight and generates differential drag using passive flaps to swim forward and turn. Electrowetting is used to break the water surface and transition into water by reducing the contact angle, and subsequently inducing spontaneous wetting. Finally, several design modifications help the robot overcome surface tension and climb a modest incline to transition back onto land. Our results show that microrobots can demonstrate unique locomotive capabilities by leveraging their small size, mesoscale fabrication methods, and surface effects.