MIT and EPFL unveil winged robot that flies, dives and resurfaces without legs

Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Switzerland's École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have built a 300‑gram aerial‑aquatic vehicle that propels itself with flapping wings. Named the FAAV (Flapping Aerial‑Aquatic Vehicle), the robot has no legs or propellers; instead, two flexible wings and a steerable tail enable it to transition from air to water and back by adjusting wing size, flapping frequency and tail angle. Tests in a water tank and a lake demonstrated successful dives, underwater propulsion, and emergence at a 70‑degree angle with continued flight.

The design mimics diving birds such as puffins and gannets, whose wing‑beat patterns differ between air and water. Researchers hope the technology could allow inexpensive, rapid deployments from ships or coastlines to gather oceanographic data, sample marine life, or inspect remote underwater structures, reducing reliance on large research vessels.