@interestingengineering: Engineers at MIT and EPFL have designed the FAAV — a flapping-wing aerial-aquatic vehicle that swims underwater, then flaps out of the water to fly through the air, just like puffins, loons, and other diving birds. Weighing under 300 grams, the robot has flexible membrane wings coated with hydrophobic nanoparticles and a motorized, steerable tail. In tests in a water tank and Lake Geneva, it swam at nearly 1 m/s, flew at around 6 m/s, and pitched at 70 degrees to break through the surface — no feet or paddling required. Published in Science, the design could launch a new class of aerial-aquatic drones for ocean science, diving near icebergs, ports, or whale pods to collect samples and fly data back at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. #MIT #EPFL #Robotics #FAAV #Drones

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Monday 13 July 2026 17:30:00 GMT