- Engineers at MIT and EPFL designed a flapping-wing aerial-aquatic robot (FAAV) weighing under 300g, inspired by diving birds like loons and puffins.
- The robot features a fuselage, flexible wings, and a steerable tail, with interchangeable wings for testing. Experiments identified optimal wing size, flapping frequency, and tail angle for smooth transitions between water and air.
- Key findings show the robot can swim at nearly 1 m/s and fly at about 6 m/s with medium-sized wings, mimicking bird mechanics. A 70-degree tail pitch enables water-to-air transitions without needing paddling feet.
- The research aims to help scientists understand bird flight adaptations in different mediums and could lead to new aerial-aquatic drones for oceanography, enabling safe data collection and sampling in hazardous areas.