How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls: Animal Movement and the Robots of the Future

by David Hu

Discovering the secrets of animal movement and what they can teach us

Insects walk on water, snakes slither, and fish swim. Animals move with astounding grace, speed, and versatility: how do they do it, and what can we learn from them? In How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls, David Hu takes readers on an accessible, wondrous journey into the world of animal motion. From basement labs at MIT to the rain forests of Panama, Hu shows how animals have adapted and evolved to traverse their environments, taking advantage of physical laws with results that are startling and ingenious. In turn, the latest discoveries about animal mechanics are inspiring scientists to invent robots and devices that move with similar elegance and efficiency.

Hu follows scientists as they investigate a multitude of animal movements, from the undulations of sandfish and the way that dogs shake off water in fractions of a second to the seemingly crash-resistant characteristics of insect flight. Not limiting his exploration to individual organisms, Hu describes the ways animals enact swarm intelligence, such as when army ants cooperate and link their bodies to create bridges that span ravines. He also looks at what scientists learn from nature’s unexpected feats—such as snakes that fly, mosquitoes that survive rainstorms, and dead fish that swim upstream. As researchers better understand such issues as energy, flexibility, and water repellency in animal movement, they are applying this knowledge to the development of cutting-edge technology.

Integrating biology, engineering, physics, and robotics, How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls demystifies the remarkable mechanics behind animal locomotion.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Biology, Nature, Technology, Stem, Audiobook

243 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 13, 2018

Reviews

[Camelia Rose (on hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic introduction to comparative biology, the study of animal motion and the joint discipline of biology, engineering and robotics. This book contains 8 chapters, each dealing with one type of animal motion. Animals mentioned: water strider, several types of snakes, a marine worm (Nereis virens), sand fish (a type of lizard), animal eyelashes and skins, ants, mosquitos, cockroaches, and many more.

In the conclusion of the book, the author summaries the importance of basic science and the future of the animal motion study. David Hu is a professor at Georgia Tech. In 2017, the Republican senator Jeff Flake remarked Hu's 3 research projects (along with 17 others) on Fox and Friends as "wasteful research". While the senator's remark is an indicator of his own scientific ignorance, it also highlights the lack of public understanding of what basic science is and the long term, often expansive benefits.

[Terry Engel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new way at looking at things we don’t ever think about. Robotics is a field that is in its fledgling period. A lot to learn from animals and how they exist.
The author makes it interesting and thought provoking.

[Harriet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a highly accessible book about animal locomotion, in equal parts fascinating (fire ants join legs-to-bodies to form rafts that can float across oceans to colonise faraway continents) and humorous (in one episode describing his scientific process, author David Hu loses a 6 ft long boa constrictor only to find it a month later in his underwear drawer.) I enjoyed the journey of learning things about the natural world I'd never before considered, let alone known, as well as their applications in robotics and computer and materials science.

[Evan Buchholz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fun and fascinating. I loved learning about several ways we have learned and created modern technologies just by focusing on the motion of animals. And I really enjoyed how the author took us through the process of their discoveries and how they unraveled each puzzle step by step. My biggest complaint is probably that there weren't more examples, but maybe these are the most developed/more intriguing ones with mysteries that had to be be solved. Would have been interesting to have a short chapter to highlight others that are still being studied and haven't been figured out much yet. But overall great for anyone interested in animals, technology, or just enjoy learning more about the world and unique sciences.

[Elentarri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an accessible (not too technical) and interesting survey of the study of animal movement influences robot design and construction. However, after a few chapters the format of animal studied and then robot constructed gets a bit tedious and repetitive (especially if the reader has come across these studies/topics before). The title is also misleading as there is no "climbing up walls" involved in this book.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool stories in an area I cover in my class! My only complaint is that the copyediting seemed to miss more mistakes as the book went on, and that we never learned about how to climb up walls - half of the title!

[Bill Leach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hu describes his work in biomechanics - working to understand animal movement. The book contains much fascinating material.

The author introduces the subject with his investigation into the use of shaking by dogs when wet. It turns out that dogs shake at four to seven times per second to generate the 12 g's of acceleration needed to remove water droplets. Many mammals engage in this behaviour and their shake rate varies with size - from four times per second for the bear to 29 per second for a mice - all timed to generate 12 g's.

Examination of animal movement looks at a variety of animals including water striders, sandfish (desert lizards that swim in the sand) and flying snakes, all revealing surprising details of the mechanisms. In sharks, the skin texture is important to efficient movement. Research into bipedal walking has shown that the passive swinging of limbs is necessary for efficient low energy movement.

Examination of lampreys has shown that movement can be controlled by central pattern generators (CPG's) that govern movement based on the state of adjacent parts of the body. This is the basis of wave-like motions. As CPG's do not need to be controlled directly, they have the potential to reduce the complexity of control systems for robots.

Ants exhibit movements that Hu likens to fluids. They mass together forming towers and bridges. The Fire ants respond to flooding by forming rafts. Army ants increase their efficiency of foraging over leaf litter when individual ants bridge gaps.

Hu seems to have pitched the book at a junior high school level. His explanations often detail fairly straight-forward concepts. The grammar in the book is very poor, being hard to follow and often just weird. Surprising for a book published by Princeton.

[Chris Basoglu · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls by David Hu is a fascinating and accessible introduction to the field of biomechanics, the study of how animals move and how humans can learn from them. Hu, a mechanical engineer and biologist, takes the reader on a journey through the diverse and often surprising ways that animals shake, swim, fly, crawl, and jump, and how these movements can inspire innovative designs for robots and other devices. From the dog's efficient shaking technique to the snake's aerodynamic gliding, from the ant's fluid-like collective behavior to the worm's mud-blowing locomotion, Hu shows how nature has solved many engineering challenges and how humans can benefit from mimicking them.

I especially appreciated how the author tied the insights into animal movement to innovation in robotics, trying to mimic unique animal movement. Hu explains how researchers have used principles from animal locomotion to create robots that can run fast, survive impacts, squeeze into tight spaces, and even form bridges and rafts. He also discusses the potential applications of these robots for search and rescue, exploration, medicine, and entertainment. Hu makes a compelling case for the value of curiosity-driven research and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration.

The book is written in a lively and engaging style, with plenty of anecdotes, humor, and illustrations. Hu also provides clear and simple explanations of the scientific concepts and methods involved, making the book accessible to a wide audience. The book is a great read for anyone interested in animals, science, or technology.

[Angie Boyter · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+ . I don't know which was more fascinating, the fantastic ways that animals move or the ingenious designs the scientists devised to test the animals and then to apply what they found. Perhaps the most delightful animal locomotion I read about were the worms that live in mud and extrude part of their throats "like a party horn" to blow holes in the mud ahead of them in order to move through the mud. Blow, move; blow move; repeat. Wow! I also enjoyed the work of investigators on cockroaches, who figured out what in their makeup allows them to scuttle away after some annoyed human has stepped on them to crush them and then applied that to design better robots for things like search-and-rescue operations.
Why not a 5? The author has a background in mechanical engineering, and there was a little more detail of the mechanical design than I really wanted, but probably not too much for many readers.

[Luciano Elementi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fascinating book, a wonderful read from the beginning with the improbable story to the very end where the author does not need to justify anything: the flying snakes, the crushed roaches, and the many other findings are such compelling beautiful stories that stand all on themselves. Whoever did not play and did not find amusement in the bugs that seem to float over the water does not have a soul.
There is something to be said for exercising the muscle of discovery for the pure pleasure of it. Yes, there may be benefits, sure, history teaches us that there are in the long run. But the reason for discovery is us just being human, pure curiosity, it is our inquisitive mind.
A lot to learn from the antennas, the shark movement (and skin), and the flying bees. A real treasure of fascination with the natural world and our experimental mimics...
I sincerely enjoyed the read, thank you

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast-paced look at how the study of the movement of animals can help in the development of robots and other mechanical devices. Cockroaches can run at the equivalent of 200 mph. They crash into walls, change directions and keep on going. They can squash themselves into small crevices. Understanding all of this can help develop robots that can move quickly, not get damaged and squeeze into small places perhaps to help find victims of a building’s collapse.

In addition to all of the fascinating observations and uses, there is a deeper study of the scientific method and the need for sometimes arcane and even silly research that pays off in valuable and unexpected ways.

[Chris Geggis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as part of the Science Book Club I belong to. I was surprised by how fascinating the author made the topic. The book mostly deals with animal movement, which didn't get me particularly excited as a topic, but it is extremely well written. I will now concede that it is an extremely interesting topic. Of particular interest is the way these studies are being used to enhance robotics. Nature and evolution have done a great job at constructing purpose built proteins. In fact, nature has been so efficient that our own big brains usually have a high degree of difficulty replicating what nature has "already" constructed. I suppose by already, what I really mean is billions of years.

[Nancy Fink · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The relationship between the physics and biology was fascinating. The author did a great job of relating the scientific principles to everyday, relatable events. I wouldn’t recommend the book to anyone without a working knowledge of high school physics. Four stars because of the editing—too many mistakes for this kind of publication. On content alone, an easy five stars.

[Winnie Yeung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating narration of study of animal locomotion. Putting physics into real-life animal examples.. how did mosquitoes roll over raindrops? How did ant colony cross the ocean? How did scientists discover all mammals urinate at constant 21 seconds? The author also did a great job in relating how these discoveries or research have practical applications in robotics or engineering designs, which justifies the value of the study of biology. Helped rekindle my interest in the study of animals.

[Bill Ryerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick read, with lots of interesting stories. The chapters all read very similarly, an intro the situation, the people who study the problem, and some concluding thoughts. The perspective is very much from engineering, with enough biology to bridge the worlds together. The only odd thing is that each chapter ends with a sentence or two summary, always starting with, "In this chapter we...".

[vitellan · Rating 3 out of 5]

For science!

The concept of waste is based on the notion of a limited gas tank and a single known destination. People expect scientists to save gas as they go from A to B. But the real power of science is to take us to destinations that we have never been to, like the discovery that urination time can be a marker for bladder health.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Hu studies the animal world to comment on robotics of the future. It is a little technical and I found it hard to read very much at one sitting. I am glad I read it, but have trouble recommending it.

[Dan Pollak · Rating 5 out of 5]

nice introduction to animal movement. low level, no equations. I wanted some equations, but I understand his audience wasn't intended to be technical. still, I like his style. i'd buy a book of his with more technical detail.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very digestible and educational. Each chapter is framed as a series of stories, so a good introduction to the topic

[S.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating!

[Dan Mead · Rating 5 out of 5]

favorite textbook I've ever had to read! For Biofluids & Bio Inspired Design at USF

[Janice · Rating 1 out of 5]

Note: My star system means:

Unrated: Either DNF'ed - generally because the writing at some point made me angry and I lost faith in the author - or F'ed but resentfully so.
*: The author delivered the bare minimum for me to finish the book
**: Good enough to hold my attention on a subway ride or, for non-fiction, interesting ideas told in a mediocre way
***: Maybe there were some issues with the writing but still totally absorbing/interesting
****: Either a book where the writing wasn't the best but I inhaled it anyway or the reverse, where the writing was fantastic though maybe it was a bit slow-going in parts
*****: I loved the writing and was totally inhaled by the book period

This is a nonfiction book about the study of animal movement in order to apply it to robotics. Some of it's pretty interesting, like trying to figure out how flying snakes actually fly - and survive landing - since they look like every other snake in existence. Just to note: I’m acting like we all know what flying snakes are but of the many things I’m not interested in encountering in this life, those are now on the list. This animal-y part of the book was pretty interesting as it was about scientists figuring out things like how trout can use the energy of river currents so effectively to flex their bodies that even dead trout can “swim” upstream (who knew?). And, on the topic of swimming, a whole interesting section about how lizards swim through desert sand to hunt prey while remaining cool. Even though that stuff was pretty interesting, in the end I was lukewarm on this book, in part because the writing was sorta draggy but mostly because the parts I found to be interesting were studying animal movements which unfortunately made up about 1/3 of the book. The rest was engineers trying to figure out how to apply nature’s lessons to their robots which, really, was pretty dull since it was just about scientists failing mostly plus a lot of computer logic, and I guess as it turns out I’m only interested in the application of animal movement to AI as long as there’s an animal out there that’s somehow going to get engineers to figure out how to stop my robot vacuum from inhaling all my USB cables, at which point I’m totally glued.

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[The Inquisitive Biologist · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls is a light and amusing romp at the intersection of animal locomotion and robotics, featuring some remarkable case studies. See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2019...

[Manduca · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging, though sometimes over-simplified, overview of animal (and robotic) movement. Though lacking a coherent thesis or narrative, the book connects disparate studies in stand-alone chapters that speak to some phenomenon in motion— like swarm behaviour, swimming or microfluidics. Some of the simplifications are annoying for a reader well-versed in biomechanics. For example, isometric scaling of small animals to a human scale is not a clear way of incorporating the physics at those scales (such as describing a termite mound as "equivalent" to a mile-high building). The author also sometimes called Steve Collins, "Scott" (if you're going to check for typos, check all the names first). There was a section where the narrator inconsistently called antennae "antenna-ee", which I almost couldn't get through (narrators: *please* check pronunciation on specialized terms).

I am nitpicky because I *love* the subject of this book. I learned some new things, and I have a reading list of studies to look up in more detail. This is an accessible and engaging introduction to comparative biomechanics, particularly with respect to robotic applications. A safe recommendation for science buffs with some interest in animals or robots.

[Armen Shirvanian]

Cool book about biolocomotion, insect movement, upcoming robotic movement, and more

Professor is personable, has a sense of humor, and is doing current research in the field

Episode with author at:

Episode 218 with Professor David Hu

[Linda]

Geekily irresistible, as per NYT: The Mysteries of Animal Movement https://nyti.ms/2D3Fslj