This Robot Is Part Bird, Part Sub
Most robots have a tough enough time getting around in a single environment. Building one that can move efficiently through both air and water is an entirely different problem. The two environments have dramatically different physical properties, meaning a design optimized for flight usually performs poorly underwater, while a capable underwater vehicle rarely has what it takes to fly. Researchers from MIT and EPFL, however, have demonstrated a new robotic platform that borrows a trick from nature to travel through both media.
Instead of relying on separate propellers or dedicated propulsion systems for each environment, the team's flapping-wing aerial-aquatic vehicle (FAAV) uses the same pair of wings to both fly through the air and swim underwater. Inspired by diving birds such as puffins, loons, and petrels, the 250-gram robot transitions between the two environments using only its wings and a steerable tail, making it one of the closest robotic analogs...
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