Walking on water as humans is naturally impossible due to gravity pulling us down and breaking the surface tension of water, which only supports very small creatures like water striders
. However, there are several ways to create the illusion or achieve a form of walking on water:
- Magic illusions and tricks: Magicians use clever methods such as hidden clear platforms or special props like plexiglass stools placed just below the water surface to appear as if they are walking on water. Tutorials exist that teach how to perform these illusions in swimming pools or shallow water
- Non-Newtonian fluids: Running or walking on a pool filled with a mixture like oobleck (cornstarch and water) can allow brief support because the fluid behaves like a solid under sudden force, enabling you to "run" on its surface for a moment
- Innovative footwear technology: Scientists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have developed a prototype shoe called Shoe-STA that changes the viscosity of water underfoot, allowing a person to walk on water by temporarily solidifying the surface beneath the shoe. This invention uses bio-mimetic nanoparticles inspired by molecular machines found in aquatic animals
In summary, while natural human walking on water is prevented by physics, illusions, special fluids, and cutting-edge technology can simulate or enable this feat in controlled conditions
