Why Can’t Robots Swim? (Water vs. Electricity)

Fish are great swimmers. Robots? Not so much. If you drop your LEGO robot in the bathtub, it stops working. Why?

Water is a Bridge

Electricity wants to flow from Point A (Positive) to Point B (Negative) inside the wires. Pure water is actually fine. But “Dirty” water (tap water, pool water, bath water) has minerals in it. These minerals act like a Bridge for electricity.

The Short Circuit

When water gets on a circuit board:

1. The electricity jumps off the wire.
2. It uses the water to travel to places it shouldn’t go (like the brain chip).
3. ZAP! It fries the chip. This is called a Short Circuit.

Making Swimmy Robots (ROVs)

Scientists allow robots to swim by putting them in waterproof plastic shells (like a submarine). We seal them with rubber O-rings and grease. Even cooler? Some engineers perform “Conformal Coating,” painting the electronics with clear nail polish so the water literally can’t touch the metal! But for now… keep your LEGO robot on dry land.