New flapping robot swims and flies like a diving bird
New flapping robot swims and flies like a diving bird
Engineers at MIT and EPFL have developed a flapping-wing robot, or FAAV, that can swim underwater and then flap into the air, mimicking the movement of diving birds. The robot, weighing less than 300 grams, can transition between water and air using optimized wing size, flapping frequency, and tail angle. The study, published in Science, could enable new aerial-aquatic drones for oceanographic research and environmental monitoring.
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This research introduces a flapping-wing robot inspired by diving birds, capable of transitioning between swimming and flying. The study highlights the biomechanical adaptations of diving birds and how they inform the design of a robot that can operate in both air and water without the need for feet. The findings could lead to new aerial-aquatic drones for oceanographic research.
What the source reports
Publisher-reported claims, with original evidence. These results have not been independently verified by RoboSignal.
Reported numbers
speed
≈6
- dataset: not_reported
What remains unknown
Not established in the collected evidence: Environment, Control, Data origin.
Reported performance applies to the described task. It does not establish general autonomy or deployment readiness.
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The robot could fly through the air at around 6 meters per second, when flapping at a similar frequency.
Open source E1
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Source：MIT — Robotics · news.mit.edu