A drone for ultrafast transitions between air and water

The new drone with a fish-inspired suction disc hitchhikes on moving objects to save power and can quickly transition between air and water. Illustration: Beihang University / Science Robotics - A new robot is capable of switching from an underwater drone to an aerial vehicle in less than one second. The robot also features a suction disc inspired by the remora fish, which enables it to hitchhike on wet or dry moving objects to significantly reduce its power consumption. It is designed for biological and environmental monitoring in marine ecosystems such as surveying ocean pollution in the open sea as the scientist of Beihang University, Imperial College London and Empa point out in a new study published in Science Robotics. The ultrafast transition from underwater drone to aerial vehicle in less than one second is based on a new propeller design - making this transition between the different mediums faster than most prior aerial-aquatic robots. Designed by a team of scientists from China, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, the versatile robot and its bio-inspired adhesive disc could be adapted for open-environment aerial and aquatic surveillance research. The robot features a suction pad inspired by remora fish.