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A team of researchers has studied how some marine animals manage to break free from the surface of the water. The experts have designed a robotic system that mimics the fluid dynamics used by frogs and tiny crustaceans when they jump out of the water.
Sunghwan Jung is an associate professor of biology and environmental engineering at The University of Cornell, who conducts the research with his student Brian Chang.
"We collected data on aquatic animals of various sizes, ranging from about 1 millimeter to several tens of meters, jumping out of the water and were able to reveal how their maximum jump height is related to the size of their body, "said Professor Jung.
Aquatic animals enter and exit water for a variety of reasons, such as avoiding predators or catching prey.
"But since the water is 1,000 times denser than the air, getting in or out of the water requires a lot of effort, so aquatic animals face mechanical challenges."
When an animal jumps into the water, he adds some mass. This extra force, called "mass of entrained water", limits the height at which animals can jump.
"We are trying to understand how biological systems are able to intelligently understand and respond to these challenges in order to optimize their performance, which could also illuminate engineering systems for entering or exiting air-water interfaces," he says. said Professor Jung.
Most marine animals are contoured and the water slides off their bodies, thus limiting the effect of the mass of water entrained.
That's why they are so good. But when we created and tested a robotic system similar to that used to jump animals, it did not jump as much as animals. Why? Our robot is not so streamlined and carries a lot of water. Imagine getting out of a pool with a wet coat – you might not be able to walk because of the weight of the water. "
Professor Jung explained that the system could eventually be used for monitoring near watersheds.
The research was presented to the American Physical Society 71st Annual Meeting of the Division of Fluid Dynamics (APS).
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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Editor
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