Water Runner Robot A robot that can run on the surface of water. Goal: : Developing a robot which can run across the surface of water in a fashion similar to the Basiliscus basiliscus and other water-running lizards. Approach: First, mathematical models of the lizard's interaction with the water are used to develop similar models for robot bodies and legs. A simple four bar mechanism has been adopted as the robot's propulsive mechanism. Proof-of-concept systems and supported prototypes are constructed to confirm and improve the mathematical models. Scale prototypes are constructed, and their lift and forward thrust abilities are measured. Through several iterations, improvements to the system are affected, and the overall system design may diverge (in appearance) from nature. Benefits: Lizards that run across the surface of the water do not have to deal with the negative effects of viscous drag, like most swimming animals and boats. A robot that moves in a similar manner may be a more efficient way to travel across the water. Also, we wish to increase our understanding and extend the abilities of legged robots. Current Status: Water running robots with on board and off-board power have been built which are capable of running across open water in outdoor environments. Work is being done to construct control and steering systems for more autonomous, untethered robots. New designs with higher degrees of freedom are being prototyped to allow for steering while water running. Amphibious designs are being researched. Videos: Video 1: High speed video of water runner in small pool - 2007 Video 2: Water runner with off board power in small pool - 2007 Video 3: Water runner with on board power running on open water - 2007 Members: Steven Floyd, Metin Sitti Former Members: Hyun Soo Park, Terence Keegan, John Palmisano, In the News: Discovery Channel Article. Pittsburgh Live. Publications: S. Floyd, T. Keegan, and M. Sitti, "A Novel Water Running Robot Inspired by Basilisk Lizards," Proc. IEEE/RSJ Intelligent Robot Systems Conference, pp. 5430-36, Beijing, China, Oct. 2006. Floyd, S., Adilak, S., Ramirez, S., Rogman, R., Sitti, M., "Performance of Different Foot Designs for a Water Running Robot," IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation, 2008. Park, H., Floyd, S., Sitti, M., "Dynamic Modeling of a Basilisk Lizard Inspired Legged Robot Running on Water," Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines, 2008. Floyd, S., Sitti, M., "Design and Development of the Lifting and Propulsion Mechanism for a Biologically Inspired Water Runner Robot," IEEE Transactions on Robotics, Vol. 24, No. 3, 2008. H. S. Park, S. Floyd, and M. Sitti, ''Dynamic Modeling and Analysis of Pitch Motion of a Basilisk Lizard Inspired Quadruped Robot Running on Water,'' IEEE Conf. on Robotics and Automation, Kobe, Japan, 2009. [link] H. S. Park and M. Sitti, ''Compliant Footpad Design Analysis for a Bio-Inspired Quadruped Amphibious Robot,'' IEEE/RSJ Int. Conf. Robots and Intelligent Systems, St. Louis, USA, 2009.

[Model] [4 legged Prototype] [Cavity formed during stepping]