Researchers are developing an unusual aerial and aquatic vehicle that can both fly through the air and swim underwater using the same pair of wings. Inspired by diving birds, the small robot uses flexible membrane wings rather than conventional drone propellers. One of the biggest engineering challenges is getting back out of the water.
Robots that can seamlessly travel through both air and water could eventually become valuable tools for monitoring lakes, rivers, oceans, wetlands, coral reefs, and other difficult-to-reach environments. Because its slow-moving flexible wings have no exposed propellers, the design may also be quieter, safer, and better suited to vegetation-filled environments such as kelp forests and riverbeds.
Researchers envision aerial-aquatic robots helping scientists study water temperature, algal blooms, pollution, microplastics, invasive species, coral degradation, and other environmental changes. Instead of designing separate drones for the sky and underwater robots for the ocean, one adaptable machine could eventually explore both environments.
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