mit engineers design robo-puffin that swims and flies for ocean exploration
engineers at mit and epfl designed a flapping-wing robot that can transition from swimming to flying, weighing under 300 grams, with potential applications in oceanography and marine biology.
a team led by raphael zufferey at mit and epfl designed a flapping-wing aerial-aquatic vehicle, or faav, that can smoothly transition from swimming to flying. the robot weighs under 300 grams and uses a central fuselage, two flexible wings, and a steerable tail. in experiments, the team identified optimal wing size, flapping frequency, and tail angle combinations for smooth transitions. the faav could enable oceanographers and marine biologists to collect data from hard-to-reach aquatic regions at a lower cost. the researchers plan to design wings that can turn and test the robot's performance in turbulent conditions.