Robot bird swims underwater then flies away - Fox News

Fox News correspondent Brooke Taylor meets Saronic CEO Dino Mavrookas to unveil the future of modern warfare with an exclusive look at autonomous drone boats. These innovative vessels are capable of military rescues without putting service members in danger, marking a significant milestone. Mavrookas emphasizes the ability to build thousands of these cost-effective, complex mission-ready ships, including the new 52-foot Mirage.

Watching a diving bird vanish beneath the water can feel almost unreal. One moment it cruises through the sky. Seconds later, it swims after prey before returning to the air. Around 100 bird species can move between those two environments. Engineers have found that natural ability incredibly difficult to recreate at a small scale.

Now, researchers at MIT and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, known as EPFL, have built a robotic bird that can complete the entire journey. The 8.8-ounce robot flies, plunges into water and swims below the surface. Then it launches back into the air using the same set of flapping wings.

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Researchers say the $300 robot marks the first bird-scale machine to complete an air-to-water-to-air cycle using flapping wings alone. (Raphael Zufferey)

According to the research team, it marks the first bird-scale robot to complete that full cycle through flapping motion alone. The research appeared in the journal Science.

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How this robot bird swims underwater and flies

Most amphibious robots use separate systems for air and water. This mechanical bird takes a simpler approach. The robot relies on flapping wings instead of propellers. It also completes its water launch without legs or a complicated wing-folding mechanism.

That design presents a major engineering problem. Water is about 800 times denser than air, so wings face far greater resistance once they enter the water. To handle that dramatic change, the robot adjusts its flapping speed. Its flexible wings also change shape as the surrounding pressure increases.

Flexible wings help the robot move through water

In the air, the robot can flap its wings up to 11 times per second. Underwater, its flapping rate ranges from 0.1 to 6 times per second. Meanwhile, water pressure can bend the wings by as much as 90%. That flexibility shortens the effective sweep of each stroke and reduces the load on the motor.

The same wings become more effective for flight once the robot reaches the air. Researchers also made the machine neutrally buoyant. As a result, it neither rises nor sinks on its own while underwater. That balance helps conserve battery power because the robot spends less energy fighting buoyancy.

Why the robot bird's water takeoff matters

The hardest part begins when the robot tries to leave the water. It completes the transition in under one second using about eight to 10 wingbeats. However, the maneuver requires a careful combination of wing flexibility, tail placement and launch angle.

Researchers found that moderately flexible wings worked best. A rigid wing struggles to adapt underwater, while excessive flexibility reduces the force needed for takeoff. The tail also needs to remain short and close to the body. Otherwise, it can drag through the water and pull the robot back down. An exit angle near 70 degrees produced the strongest results. A flatter approach creates too much tail drag. A nearly vertical launch can make the robot tip backward into the water.

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Scientists envision future versions of the robotic bird monitoring waterways, collecting samples and observing marine wildlife. (Raphael Zufferey)

What the robot bird can teach scientists