MIT Unveils $300 Robot That Flies and Swims for Ocean Monitoring
Updated
Updated · CNN · Aug 6
MIT Unveils $300 Robot That Flies and Swims for Ocean Monitoring
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Aug 6
Summary
$300 is the parts cost of MIT’s 250-gram flapping robot, which can transition between air and water and is being developed as a low-cost ocean-monitoring platform.
The bird-inspired vehicle flies at just over 6 meters per second and swims at nearly 1 meter per second, using flexible nylon wings and a water-repellent tail rather than folding joints.
A year of tests in a Massachusetts tank and Switzerland’s Lake Geneva showed it can dive best at a 70-degree angle and operate in mild waves and wind, though not rough conditions.
MIT says the robot could eventually collect samples near toxic algae blooms, volcano lakes or icebergs, but it still has not completed a fully autonomous mission.
Outside experts called the dual-mode design a notable engineering achievement while questioning payload, durability, regulation and whether it can beat conventional propeller-based systems in open-ocean use.