This MIT robot flies through the air then dives underwater using the same wings
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First look: MIT researchers have built a small robot that can move through both air and water using the same wings – and switch between the two without any extra hardware. The work comes out of mechanical engineer Raphael Zufferey's lab, where the team has been trying to replicate something that already exists in nature.
Diving seabirds like puffins use their wings to both fly and swim, even though air and water behave very differently. "Thinking of a wing that could operate in both [air and water] somewhat efficiently seems implausible," Zufferey tells NPR.
The robot, described in a paper publishedin Science, weighs about half a pound and has a wingspan just shy of three feet. It's built to function in both environments without adding unnecessary complexity, which shaped several key...
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