Aquatic Micro Aerial Vehicles (AquaMAV): Bio-inspired air-water mobility for robotics

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Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are a step changing technology that allows for fast, low-risk and low- cost environmental sensing with a world-wide market value of $89bn over the next ten years (as estimated by the 2013 Teal Group forecast). However, current UAVs are greatly limited by being able to operate in air only, preventing them to move effectively on the ground or in water. Hybrid air-water mobility would address the societal need for remote water sampling in inaccessible areas such as during floods or after nuclear accidents. For example, UAVs could quickly provide water samples following a nuclear accident to better coordinate response efforts. While some UAVs can land on water, no technologies are available that allow them to both dive and fly, due to dramatic design trade-offs that have to be solved for movement in both air and water, and due to the absence of high-power propulsion systems that would allow a transition from underwater to air.Expanding on my emerging leader position in aerial robotics, I will develop a novel generation of hybrid flying robots, called Aquatic Micro Aerial Vehicles (AquaMAVs). These robots offer the revolutionary mission capability to fly to a site of interest, dive into the water to take a water sample and provide video footage and retake flight to return to the base station.The engineering approach will build on the analysis of aerial-aquatic animals such as flying fish, diving birds and gliding squid, and the implementation of their key bio-inspired design principles using the best of robotic engineering.This First Grant Scheme application, leveraged by major strategic investment from Imperial College to the AquaMAV research area and a recent donation of £1.25m for a new flight arena, will allow me to establish scientific leadership in bio-inspired aerial robotics. It will build the basis to deliver the key building blocks for aerial-aquatic robots requiring innovation in propulsion, adaptive morphologies and autonomy that allow for hybrid mobility. The final goal of this first grant is to demonstrate novel propulsion systems and wing folding mechanisms that are tailored to AquaMAV requirements. Following this grant the systems will be integrated in a fully featured AquaMAV that can fly, dive into water, dive while taking water samples and transition back to propeller driven flight. Besides the application oriented impact, this project will also deliver key scientific insights on locomotion modalities for robotics across varied terrain.Having partnered with five industrial partners, including the National Nuclear Labs and Shell, will provide the pathways to industrial impact and continued research support building on the results from this grant. Major corporate interest in this project is demonstrated by committed resources of more than £65k of in kind benefits from industrial partners and two CASE studentships for higher Technology Readiness Levels of AquaMAV. This grant will provide the bridge in research staff resources that will allow the demonstration of AquaMAV principles and build the basis for future impact. Aerial-aquatic robot mobility is widely unexplored and this project will initiate a novel and high impact area in academia as demonstrated by support from leaders in robotics and biology, including support from Harvard University. Once realised, AquaMAVs will be a major technological stepping stone for new robotic applications, such as search and rescue in flooded buildings, for water sampling during oil spills or after nuclear accidents, and for low cost oceanographic data collection, all of which are areas of vital national importance to the U.K.