<figure class="fr-image-container fr-full"><img srcset="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/19363/rdstrider-s.webp 480w, https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/19363/rdstrider-m.webp 660w" sizes="(max-width: 480px) 480px, 660px" src="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/19363/rdstrider-s.jpg" title="rdstrider.jpg" loading="lazy" data-id="19363"><figcaption class="fr-figcaption"><p class="fr-caption"></p></figcaption></figure><p>Courtesy of David Hu/MIT</p><div class="vert-display-toggle collapsible relative flex flex-col items-center "><div class="vert-unit mt-4 mb-3 top-20"><div ad-type="mobile-desktop" class="ad-wrapper vert min-h-boombox flex items-start justify-center" data-ad-mapping="inline" data-ad-slot="Discover/inline-ad" id="div-inline-ad-0"></div></div><span aria-label="Advertisement" class="text-ad mt-1 text-[11px] uppercase">Advertisement</span></div><p>Water-striding insects skim across the surface of a pond with no effort at all, but a team of MIT mathematicians had to work hard to figure out how they do it. John Bush and his graduate student David Hu set up vats of dyed water and high-speed video cameras to catch the striders in action. Using this setup, Bush and Hu could see that they row with their center legs, even though surface tension keeps the insects from dipping into the water. “It’s sort of like the breaststroke, but they don’t break the surface. When they push down on the water, they create a small valley, called a meniscus, and that acts like an oar,” Hu says. The middle legs press against the back wall of the meniscus, pushing the insect forward and transferring momentum to a series of vortices in the water (see below). To prove this result, MIT mechanical-engineering graduate student Brian Chan built a four-inch-long robot that uses the same technique. It water-walked successfully, if not quite as elegantly as its living counterpart. </p>

November 2003

The November 2003 issue of Discover Magazine

How Long Can the Human Body Last?

Discover how water-striding insects skim ponds effortlessly, thanks to surface tension and a unique rowing technique resembling breaststroke.

The Sciences

How to Walk on Water

Article

News

Fenella Saunders

Science

Courtesy of David Hu/MIT Water-striding insects skim across the surface of a pond with no effort at all, but a team of MIT mathematicians had to work hard to figure out how they do it. John Bush and his graduate student David Hu set up vats of dyed water and high-speed video cameras to catch the striders in action. Using this setup, Bush and Hu could see that they row with their center legs, even though surface tension keeps the insects from dipping into the water. “It’s sort of like the breaststroke, but they don’t break the surface. When they push down on the water, they create a small valley, called a meniscus, and that acts like an oar,” Hu says. The middle legs press against the back wall of the meniscus, pushing the insect forward and transferring momentum to a series of vortices in the water (see below). To prove this result, MIT mechanical-engineering graduate student Brian Chan built a four-inch-long robot that uses the same technique. It water-walked successfully, if not quite as elegantly as its living counterpart.

Discover Magazine’s award-winning journalism inspires and informs, delivering thought-provoking content that sparks meaningful conversations. With a focus on groundbreaking developments in science, technology, and the world around us, Discover highlights the impact of these innovations on our daily lives.

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