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The FAAV robot, developed by engineers at EPFL and MIT, can swim underwater and fly in the air using flexible membrane wings.

TechnologyBiomimicryJul 10, 2026score 0.602 posts · 0 replies across 2 instances
Engineers from EPFL and MIT have developed a robot that can swim underwater and fly in the air, inspired by diving birds. The robot, named FAAV, uses flexible membrane wings to mimic the movement of diving birds between air and water. The research highlights the potential for new aerial-aquatic drones to explore marine environments.

Claims

The FAAV robot, developed by engineers at EPFL and MIT, can swim underwater and fly in the air using flexible membrane wings.
Parent: RoboticsEntity: FAAV robotImpact: positiveDate: Jul 10, 2026Target: The FAAV robot's ability to transition between aquatic and aerial environments.
Diving birds prioritize speed over energy efficiency during underwater wing strokes, as revealed by the research on the FAAV robot.
Parent: BiomimicryEntity: Diving birdsImpact: neutralDate: Jul 10, 2026Target: The prioritization of speed over energy efficiency in diving birds during underwater strokes.
The development of the FAAV robot could inspire a new generation of aerial-aquatic drones capable of exploring and sampling hard-to-reach marine environments.
Parent: Marine TechnologyEntity: Aerial-aquatic dronesImpact: positiveDate: Jul 10, 2026Target: The potential of aerial-aquatic drones to explore and sample marine environments.

Source posts

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Inspired by diving birds, engineers at EPFL and MIT have designed a robot that can swim underwater, and flap out of the water to continue flying through air. These findings could help us understand how these “aquatic aviators” adapt their flight between air and water and inspire a new generation of aerial-aquatic drones capable of exploring and sampling hard-to-reach marine environments. ➡️ https://actu.epfl.ch/news/a-flapping-robot-swims-and-flies-like-a-diving-b-2/ #EPFL #Robotics
5 boosts · 6 favs · 0 replies · Jul 10, 2026
#epfl#robotics
@[email protected]
💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: 🪽🌊 Engineers at #MIT and #EPFL built FAAV, a flapping wing #robot that flies through air and swims #underwater using flexible membrane wings. The #design mimics how diving #birds move between fluids that differ 800 fold in density. The #research suggests that diving birds prioritize speed over #energy efficiency during underwater wing strokes. 👉 https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/this-250-gram-robot-can-swim-underwater-then-fly-into-the-sky-using-its-flapping-wings-like-a-diving-bird/ #robotics #biomimicry #engineering #science #physics #animals #drones #technology #tech #ocean #flight #swimming
5 boosts · 0 favs · 0 replies · Jul 10, 2026
#mit#epfl#robot#underwater#design#birds