Launching by cavitation

Cavitation, characterized by formation of vapor bubbles in a low-pressure or high-temperature region of a liquid, is often destructive, but it can be harnessed for actuators and robots. We exploit cavitation to accumulate substantial energy in superheated liquids by suppressing its immediate release until reaching a stability limit. The energetic, unstable bubbles collapse violently, producing a burst of high power and force that initiates motion. Notably, a millimeter-scale device launched by cavitation can jump to a height of 1.5 meters-reaching a 12 meters per second (m/s) peak velocity, a 7.14 × 10<sup>4</sup> m/s<sup>2</sup> acceleration, and a 0.64% energy efficiency-and can also swim on water at 12 centimeters per second. Cavitation-based launching works with a broad range of device materials, liquid media, stimuli, and operational environments.

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Publication Details

Journal
Science
Published
2025-08-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adu8943
Citations
32
Primary Topic
Underwater Vehicles and Communication Systems
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
36.65
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article

Launching by cavitation

Gongxun Bai, Ximin He, Huanqi Qin, Pengju Shi et al.
32 citations
Science
Underwater Vehicles and Communication Systems
36.65
article

Launching by cavitation

Gongxun Bai, Ximin He, Huanqi Qin, Pengju Shi, Chao‐Qing Dai, Hongping Zhao, Guoquan Zhou, Yusen Zhao, Zixiao Liu, Wei Liu, Chi Chen, Dan Wang, Dalei Wang, Yingjie Du
article en
32 citations

Abstract

Cavitation, characterized by formation of vapor bubbles in a low-pressure or high-temperature region of a liquid, is often destructive, but it can be harnessed for actuators and robots. We exploit cavitation to accumulate substantial energy in superheated liquids by suppressing its immediate release until reaching a stability limit. The energetic, unstable bubbles collapse violently, producing a burst of high power and force that initiates motion. Notably, a millimeter-scale device launched by cavitation can jump to a height of 1.5 meters-reaching a 12 meters per second (m/s) peak velocity, a 7.14 × 10<sup>4</sup> m/s<sup>2</sup> acceleration, and a 0.64% energy efficiency-and can also swim on water at 12 centimeters per second. Cavitation-based launching works with a broad range of device materials, liquid media, stimuli, and operational environments.

ScienceVol. 389(6763)
Zhejiang A & F University (CN), University of California, Los Angeles (US), China Jiliang University (CN), Anhui University of Technology (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 0%
Underwater Vehicles and Communication Systems
36.65
DOISourceOpenAlex
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Launching by cavitation — Gongxun Bai, Ximin He, et al. · Science (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS