MIT robot can fly and swim

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created a unique robot that can both fly through the air and swim underwater just like diving birds.

The lightweight robot costs around $300 and was designed by MIT’s AeroAquatic Robotics team.  Scientists believe it could one day help monitor oceans study marine life and support environmental protection.

The robot was inspired by diving birds which use the same wings to fly in the air and move through water.  While scientists have studied these birds for years building a robot that can perform both tasks efficiently has been a major challenge.

To solve this the MIT team carefully studied how diving birds move and used those findings to design the new machine.

The robot called the Flapping Aerial Aquatic Vehicle weighs only 250 grams.  It runs on a battery powered motor and has nylon wings and a tail coated with water resistant nanoparticles to protect them from moisture.

According to the researchers the robot is programmed to flap its wings at a specific frequency allowing it to move smoothly in both air and water without changing its basic movement.

It can fly at speeds of up to 13.4 miles per hour and swim at about 2.2 miles per hour. On a single battery charge it is designed to fly as far as 6 kilometers or swim up to 2 kilometers.

The robot was tested for about one year first in a water tank in Massachusetts and later in Lake Geneva Switzerland where researchers evaluated its performance in real world conditions.