Surfers in space: How experiments on the International Space Station could help transform technology on Earth

The remote-control robots that Hassan Masoud has helped develop can skate across the surface of water by drawing on the same physical property that insects such as water striders use to stay afloat.

For the next step in his research Masoud has an idea that is literally out of this world: surfers in space.

Masoud, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Clemson University, is spearheading a project that has a series of experiments on track to blast off to the International Space Station.

The experiments focus on Marangoni propulsion-changes in surface tension that propel objects forward. To see it in action, dip one side of a toothpick in detergent, gently set it in water and watch it move as if by magic.

Researchers know quite a bit about how Marangoni propulsion works on flat surfaces, such as a pond, but much less about what happens on curved surfaces, such as bubbles or droplets.

Gravity and other constraints make studying Marangoni propulsion on curved surfaces nearly impossible on Earth, Masoud said. But in the microgravity of space, water forms into levitating spheres, providing a unique opportunity.

For the experiments the team is planning, astronauts will use a syringe to form water droplets on a tether mast that keeps the droplets stable.

Astronauts will then place "Marangoni surfers" on the droplets. The surfers will be silicone ellipses, each just a few millimeters long and coated in alcohol.

No one can be exactly sure what the surfers will do, especially with their collective motion.

Hassan Masoud holds a robot that skates across the surface of water by drawing on the same physical property that insects such as water striders use to stay afloat.

"Will they join and move together?" Masoud asked. "Will they repel each other?"

Answering those questions and others will not only help uncover fundamental insights into Marangoni propulsion but could also eventually lead to new technology, he said.

It could include tiny robots that deliver drugs and detect environmental pollutants as well as new methods for preventing the spread of infection and improving 3D-printing techniques, Masoud said.

Masoud and his team have received funding to develop the experiments through an NSF-CASIS grant, a collaboration between the National Science Foundation and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space.

Masoud said the work he and his team propose will be the first to investigate Marangoni propulsion on curved interfaces.

"Conducting these experiments aboard the ISS is essential for understanding how active particles interact and move on spherical fluid interfaces," Masoud said. "Microgravity allows us to eliminate the gravitational effects that dominate on Earth, providing a clearer view of the fundamental forces at play."

The team has two years to get the experiments ready to deploy to the International Space Station, he said. If all goes as planned, the experiments will be conducted within four, he said

They will be recorded from different angles on three cameras, and the video will be sent back to Earth for Masoud and his team to analyze, he said.

Masoud is collaborating with ZIN Technologies and researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The team is also developing an educational plan to go along with the research. It will include innovative ways of introducing the Marangoni effect to middle school students through hands-on activities, mentoring high school students as summer interns and introducing community college students to research.

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