Most drones today were designed to deliver supplies, survey areas, and many more by taking their wings to the skies. But what if we can have drones that can also swim underwater?
A group of researchers from the Chinese University in Hong Kong wants to have the best of both worlds by creating an aerial-aquatic drone called "Mirs-X" that can take off the skies and swim in deep waters.
The surveillance drone "Helper", flies over the beach of Biscarrosse, on July 8, 2016, during a demonstration of a rescue operation. The "Helper" drone, tested this summer on the beach of Biscarrosse, can take off from a rescue centre in less than thirty seconds, be placed over a swimmer in distress and drop a life buoy. It will be used by sea rescuers on beaches.
Mirs-X Prototype
As reported first by Interesting Engineering, the research team was headed by Ben Chen. They equipped the quadcopter prototype with propulsion and thruster configuration capabilities for vast applications in air and water.
This novel, cutting-edge tech will be presented at the 2023 IEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) on May 29- June 2.
The team demonstrated that Mirs-X is capable of swimming underwater at depths up to three meters for 40 minutes. The prototype has also been flown for at least six minutes.
The research team broke engineering grounds when they installed each motor with a dual-speed gearbox and rotating mounts so that the drone can operate in two different biomes.
The quadrotor's propellers are also equipped with the ability to tilt toward their intended direction, enabling them to navigate above and below sea level.
For the drone's propulsion, the operation range can be switched for different mediums via its dual-speed propulsion unit. This supplies sufficient thrust and ensures output effectiveness, according to the team.
Meanwhile, thrust vectoring is made possible through the propulsion unit's rotation around the mount arm to improve underwater maneuverability.
Shuttle in 3-D Fluid Spaces
"The aerial-aquatic vehicle is capable to shuttle in both 3-D fluid spaces, can act as an irreplaceable node linking the two unmanned systems, and enhancing sharing and fusion of information," the team wrote in their paper.
"Furthermore, the aerial-aquatic vehicle can be independently applied to scenarios where a single-medium one is not available, such as cross-domain surveys, remote sensing, disaster rescue, and so on."
The Mirs-X prototype is considerably compact, it measures below 15 inches and roughly weighs 3.5 pounds. Ben and his team plan to make the drone even bigger in their following experiments to around 6 feet.
The drone's future model may also include other features such as carrying and grabbing objects underwater, according to Interesting Engineering's report.
The team may also demonstrate other capabilities of the drone in the upcoming ICRA 2023. It will be the biggest and most prestigious event of the year in the field of robotics and automation. It will also feature top academics, researchers, and industry representatives to showcase their innovative works.
You can read more details about the aerial-aquatic drone here.
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