A Comparative Survey along with design and fabrication of bioinspired Water Strider Robot

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Periyar Maniammai Institute of Science &Technology (Deemed to be University), Vallam, Thanjavur 613403, Tamil Nadu, India.

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Published online: 29 April 2026

Abstract

Robotics has evolved a lot since its origin. The design of these robots is done based on various aspects, and one such aspect is bioinspired robots, which lies one of the most challenging fields were a robot is developed by mimicking or inspiring from some living creature. Among these bioinspired robots, water strider robots are yet more challenging design which is still remains as an area of research for many researchers considering its complex design parameter constraints. In this article an intensive survey is done by considering the research publications and patents that mimic the water strider insect, focusing on surface tension for support and movement. Examining these 53 technical papers and patents, the comparison is made by considering robot designs based on their size, speed, power sources, and materials. Success relies on two key areas: using super-waterproof (super hydrophobic) materials to utilize the water’s “skin” and employing flexible, often artificial, muscles for propulsion. Designs range from micro-robots to large floating platforms. Current research focuses on achieving high speed, ability to move quickly, easily, and new applications like oil cleanup. The main challenge remains building robots as efficient and durable as the natural insect. In this article, initially, an exhaustive survey is made on the existing water strider design and also an innovative design for the water strider having the slowest speed compared with other existing water striders is proposed and its performance is analyzed with respect to the positioning of vibrator motor.