Cocktail novelties inspired by nature’s designs

Mechanisms behind water bugs and lilies applied to culinary devices. An MIT mathematician and a celebrity chef have combined talents to create two culinary novelties inspired by nature. John Bush, a professor of applied mathematics, and renowned Spanish chef José Andrés have designed a cocktail accessory and a palate cleanser based on the mechanics of water bugs and water lilies, respectively. The cocktail accessory - an edible "boat" produced by 3-D printing - motors around on the surface of an alcoholic drink, propelled by the same fluid mechanics as certain water bugs. About the size of a raisin, the boat is filled with alcohol of a higher proof than the drink in which it floats. The boat steadily releases alcohol through a notch at one end, creating a difference in surface tension that propels it forward. This approach mimics one used by some insects, which release a chemical that drives them toward shore after an accidental fall into water.