These little robots literally walk on water

Imagine a tiny robot, no bigger than a leaf, gliding across a pond's surface like a water strider. One day, devices like this could track pollutants, collect water samples or scout flooded areas too risky for people.

Baoxing Xu, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Virginia's School of Engineering and Applied Science, is pioneering a way to build them. In a new study published in Science Advances, Xu's research introduces HydroSpread, a first-of-its-kind fabrication method that has great potential to impact the growing field of soft robotics. This innovation allows scientists to make soft, floating devices directly on water, a technology that could be utilized in fields from health care to electronics to environmental monitoring.

Until ...