BEES CAN’T SWIM, HOWEVER…

Robotics researcher Chris Roh of the California Institute of Technology has discovered a fascinating ability that bees have in water that is informing his engineering. Bees can not swim, but they can, according to Roh, “surf”.

Since bees have a need to collect and transport water for hive cooling, some occasionally fall in. Their strategy is to move across the surface of the water until they reach safety. The problem comes that if their wings get wet, they sink. Amazingly, bees have evolved to change the angle of their wings from 20° to 10°, keeping the top of their wings dry while making progress through the water.

Roh has discovered that a bee’s survival strategy produces a highly efficient method of surface movement. He envisages the creation of tiny devices able to swim and fly based on honeybee dynamics.

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