The researchers aim for a future in which winged robots could used for research in aquatic regions often deemed too dangerous for traditional ocean vessels.
Researchers from MIT have developed a robot with the ability to plunge underwater then emerge and continue flying through the air, much like how a bird dives and flies.
Inspired by aquatic aviators, engineers at MIT and EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland, worked on the flapping wing aerial aquatic vehicle (Faav), which weighs about half a pound and is designed to aid scientists in the study of the mechanics that enable real birds to navigate the air and water.
Researchers also hope that the design could result in the development of a new class of aerial-aquatic drones and vehicles, noting that winged robots could be deployed in oceanography to fly to and carry out research in aquatic regions considered too dangerous for traditional ocean vessels to travel to.
The robot has a central body or fuselage, two flexible wings capable of flapping and a tail designed for steering.
