MIT researchers study bird mechanics to create robot that can dive, swim and fly
The researchers are aiming for a future where winged robots could be used for research in water areas that are generally considered too dangerous for conventional marine vessels.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created a robot that can dive under water and then come out and continue flying in the air, similar to how a bird dives and flies.
Inspired by aquatic aviators – such as loons, gulls and puffins – engineers at MIT and EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland, have worked on a flying aerial vehicle (FAAV), which weighs about half a pound and is designed to help scientists research the mechanics that enable real birds to move through air and water.
The researchers hope that this project may lead to the development of a new class of aerial drones and vehicles, noting that winged robots may be deployed in oceanography to fly and conduct research in marine areas considered too dangerous for conventional marine vessels to go to.
The robot has a central body or fuselage, two flexible flapping wings and a tail designed for maneuvering.
Both the wings and tail can be adjusted to different sizes as it was noted during the testing phase that the combination of wing size, flapping frequency and tail angle enabled the robot to smoothly transition from swimming in the water, hovering and flying in the air.
To help repel any water, the wings are made using a thin membrane coated with hydrophobic nanoparticles.
“Our dream is for oceanographers, marine biologists and members of coastal communities to launch this robot from a boat, or from the shore and it will fly near an area of interest, such as an iceberg or an area in a harbor, or over a pod of whales,” said Raphael Zufferey, lead author of the study.
“It can dive into the water to take a measurement or collect a sample and fly back to bring back data at a fraction of the cost of conventional methods. Then it can go back out to dive for more.”
He explained that to make the transition from air and water, to return to air, important changes must be made.
“Birds like puffins can fly very fast through the air and can dive and swim in water at a speed of 3 meters per second. They can do very amazing things. So we knew it was possible. No one had ever tried this in a mobile robotics system.”
Future changes include redesigning the wings to allow for turning. The team will also test the robot’s ability to operate in turbulent conditions, such as turbulent water or strong winds.
Zufferey said: “One of the biggest challenges in ocean science is to collect data regularly and from many places, which is what this robot can do in the future. You can send this not just every week, but every hour.
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