The Amazing Robobee

Gee, just in time to replace the ones that pollinate our crops now.

It's interesting how they solved the problem of getting out of water.

"Prior to our study, the main challenge is that the robot could not transition from water back into air," he said.

That's because the surface tension of the water is significant relative to a device the size of a common honey bee. In fact, the surface tension effect is 10 times the weight of a microrobot this size.

To overcome this, Chen and his colleagues created a unique onboard power-generating source just to get the Robobee out of the water and back into flight.

The device converts a small amount of surrounding water into hydrogen and oxygen, collects gases in a small air chamber to achieve enough buoyancy to come to the surface, then ignites it for takeoff.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/insect-robot-sky-sea-1.4369096

I was wondering if it had a hydrophobic coating whether it would take energy to get it into water the way a hydrophilic surface requires energy to get out of water. Is there a coating material out there that is neutral, that would neither attract nor repel water? Just a thought...

..."Is there a coating material out there that is neutral, that would neither attract nor repel water? "..

....or perhaps could switch properties back and forth with electrical manipulation...?

That's very interesting. Of course, switching from hydrophilic to hydrophobic while in the water would require energy just as escaping from the water with a hydrophilic coating would. But if there were a middle ground where the electrical potential could be adjusted to just neutralize the force, that would be ideal.

It escapes the water ok but it's still held back by the wetness and must land immediately and wait to dry again to fly....so if it could shed the water while surfacing it would eliminate this problem...

You're right, a hydrophobic coating would be best. Landing in water, it has gravity to help, and taking off it would shed the water. I wonder why they did not think of that.

Perhaps everyone on the team is a hydrophobic suffering from hydrophobia?

switching from hydrophilic to hydrophobic

Maybe,... it depends how one addresses it... with coatings would sheds or retains water using surface tension of the water.

I recall a article here about that where the surface had little hairs or something to that effect.

Of course yes, it would need energy for the transformation. But with technology coming along the way it is, it's not too far fetched.

It will bee amazing when it can support itself on nectar sunshine... Like the human barbie.

..ok.. it's still neat