Physics laws that were previously thought to be impossible have been made possible by researchers within the Micro Nano-Scale Transport Lab.
The research team was able to roll a sphere down an entirely vertical surface without applying any external force to it. High-speed cameras picked up the unexpected motion, and it took the team by surprise when they saw it.
The materials used for this experiment were a pea-sized sphere and a vertical slide that was around the size of a cell phone. The discovery had just the right balance of softness to defy what was formerly understood about the laws of physics. Typically, a sphere could get stuck on a vertical surface depending on the material used, or it would just slide straight down due to gravity.
Dr. Sushanta Mitra, a professor in MME, said that this new finding can aid in the development of soft robots to help with pipe inspection, manufacturing equipment for space missions to Mars, and even for pipe inspection.
The team responsible for this finding also includes Dr. Boxin Zhao in the Department of Chemical Engineering and two post-doctoral fellows in the lab, Dr. Surjyasish Mitra and Dr. A-Reum Kim.
Learn more about the discovery in Redefining physics to roll a ball vertically in Waterloo News. Plus, the project was featured on local news. Watch the segment on CTV Kitchener.