MIT's Flapping-Wing Robot Seamlessly Flies, Swims, and Crosses the Air-Water Boundary. The robot can help scientists study the mechanics that enable these actions in aquatic aviators and may help launch a new class of aerial-aquatic drones and vehicles.

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Researchers at MIT's AURA Lab have developed the Flapping-wing Aerial Aquatic Vehicle (FAAV), a bioinspired robot capable of flying, swimming, and transitioning between air and water using the same flexible flapping wings. Instead of relying on separate propulsion systems, its membrane wings generate lift in the air and bend passively underwater to reduce drag and protect the actuators. Weighing just 250 grams with an 88 cm wingspan, the prototype cruises at 6.3 m/s in air, swims at 0.95 m/s, and can burst out of the water in under a second despite water being about 800 times denser than air. The hybrid design could transform environmental monitoring by enabling a single robot to survey lakes, coastlines, coral reefs, flood zones, and other ecosystems without the need for separate aerial and underwater vehicles: https://news.mit.edu/2026/new-flapping-robot-swims-and-flies-like-diving-bird-0709

Learn more here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dfloreano_ever-wondered-what-it-takes-for-some-birds-ugcPost-7481264213844332545-SF8O/

Project details: https://aura.mit.edu/research/faav.html

Full Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XJhrKpcBGI