Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have designed a propulsion system that uses electrical charges to destabilize the surface tension of water. There are no motors or flippers: just the water’s own dynamics.
The technique is ideal for small robotic watercraft such as those that monitor water quality, which currently rely on battery-sapping propellers.
Inspired by how beetle larvae move on water, bending their backs rhythmically to exploit surface tension, the experiments used electrodes attached to a 2-centimeter-long boat that created a similar effect. Top speed: 4 millimeters per second.
Creepy But Cool: Baby Beetles… [Techburger]
Isn’t this the principle on what most Sci-fi warp drives are based on? Instead of destabilizing the surface tension of water though, they instead destabilize space-time around the ship, which causes the ship to be pulled forward. Very cool tech.
Is it MHD ?