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

One of Inverse’s Best Science Books of 2018

Co-Winner of the AIP Science Communication Book Award, American Institute of Physics

Finalist for the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prizes for Excellence in Science Books, Young Adult Science Books

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? How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls takes readers on a wondrous journey into the world of animal motion.

From basement labs at MIT to the rain forests of Panama, David 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. Integrating biology, engineering, physics, and robotics, How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls demystifies the remarkable secrets behind animal locomotion.