Demonstration of an Aerial and Submersible Vehicle Capable of Flight and Underwater Navigation with Seamless Air-Water Transition

Bio-inspired vehicles are currently leading the way in the quest to produce a vehicle capable of flight and underwater navigation. However, a fully functional vehicle has not yet been realized. We present the first fully functional vehicle platform operating in air and underwater with seamless transition between both mediums. These unique capabilities combined with the hovering, high maneuverability and reliability of multirotor vehicles, results in a disruptive technology for both civil and military application including air/water search and rescue, inspection, repairs and survey missions among others. The invention was built on a bio-inspired locomotion force analysis that combines flight and swimming. Three main advances in the present work has allowed this invention. The first is the discovery of a seamless transition method between air and underwater. The second is the design of a multi-medium propulsion system capable of efficient operation in air and underwater. The third combines the requirements for lift and thrust for flight (for a given weight) and the requirements for thrust and neutral buoyancy (in water) for swimming. The result is a careful balance between lift, thrust, weight, and neutral buoyancy implemented in the vehicle design. A fully operational prototype demonstrated the flight, and underwater navigation capabilities as well as the rapid air/water and water/air transition. Keywords—bio-inspired vehicle, flight, swimming, unmanned aerial and submersible vehicle.