DroneRafts Waterstrider Lets You Land Your Drone on Water

Today’s better drones are pretty easy to land on flat ground, but if you’re flying over water, it can ruin your fancy flying tech if you end up putting down in the wet. The Drone Raft Waterstrider is an attachment for the DJI Phantom 3 or 4 that allows you to take off and/or land your drone on water.

drone_waterstrider_1
The Waterstrider will allow for water landings and takeoffs thanks to those buoyant foot pads, but it also comes in handy for rough terrain like rocks, sand, even snow. The design was inspired by certain types of insects that gently sit on top of the water using the large surface area on their legs.

The kit is made from an ultra-lightweight carbon fiber and high-impact polymers that are super durable. You can add it to your drone or remove it in just 1 minute.

[via OddityMall]

Chinese microbot walks on water, skims the surface of insect-inspired design

Water jumping microbot proves anything bugs can do, robots can do too

Bugs are creepy. You don't need to be an entomophobe to empathize with that sentiment. But bugs are also inspiring -- to researchers in China, that is. Taking a cue from nature, a team of engineers from the country's School of Chemical Engineering and Technology have devised a microbot weighing just 0.02 lbs (11 grams) that can repeatedly jump across the surface of water without tanking. How'd they do it? Well, by using a highly repellent foam coating, the strider-like bot's legs are able to stay afloat with every 5.5 inch (14 cm) leap it makes, buffering the force that would normally plunge it below the H20. The creation of this hydrophobic mini-insectoborg isn't exactly the first of its kind, other aquatic gliders have come before, but this itty bitty fella's the first to successfully and repeatedly hop along an aqueous top. Unfortunately, there's no video demo for you to feast your eyes upon, so you'll just have to take our word for it.

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Chinese microbot walks on water, skims the surface of insect-inspired design originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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