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

无人机(UAV)是一项改变世界的技术，它可以实现快速、低风险和低成本的环境传感，未来10年全球市场价值将达到890亿美元(据蒂尔集团2013年的预测)。然而，目前的无人机非常有限，只能在空中操作，使它们无法在地面或水中有效移动。空气-水混合流动将满足在洪水期间或核事故后等人迹罕至的地区进行远程水采样的社会需求。例如，无人机可以在核事故发生后迅速提供水样，以更好地协调应对工作。虽然一些无人机可以降落在水上，但由于必须解决在空中和水中移动的戏剧性设计权衡，以及由于缺乏能够从水下过渡到空中的大功率推进系统，目前还没有允许它们同时潜水和飞行的技术。我将扩展我在空中机器人领域的新兴领导者地位，开发新一代混合飞行机器人，称为水上微型飞行器(AquaMAV)。这些机器人提供了革命性的任务能力，可以飞到感兴趣的地点，潜入水中采集水样，提供视频片段，并重新飞行返回基地。工程方法将建立在对飞鱼、潜鸟和滑翔鱿鱼等空中水生动物的分析基础上，并利用最好的机器人工程来实施它们的关键生物灵感设计原则。帝国理工学院对AquaMAV研究领域的重大战略投资和最近捐赠的1.25亿GB资金将使我能够在生物灵感空中机器人领域建立科学领导地位。它将为交付空中-水上机器人的关键构件奠定基础，这些机器人需要在推进、自适应形态和自主性方面进行创新，从而允许混合动力机动性。这第一笔赠款的最终目标是展示根据AquaMAV要求量身定做的新型推进系统和机翼折叠机制。在这笔拨款之后，这些系统将被集成到一个功能齐全的AquaMAV中，它可以飞行、潜入水中、潜水并采集水样，并过渡到螺旋桨驱动的飞行。除了面向应用的影响外，该项目还将提供关于机器人在不同地形上的移动模式的关键科学见解。与包括国家核实验室和壳牌在内的五个工业合作伙伴建立了合作伙伴关系，将在这笔赠款成果的基础上提供实现工业影响的途径和持续的研究支持。企业对该项目的兴趣主要体现在工业合作伙伴承诺的超过65K GB的实物收益和两个AquaMAV更高技术准备水平的案例学生。这笔赠款将为研究人员资源提供桥梁，使其能够展示AquaMAV原理，并为未来的影响奠定基础。空中-水上机器人的机动性被广泛探索，该项目将在学术界开创一个新的和高影响力的领域，机器人和生物学领域的领导者的支持证明了这一点，包括哈佛大学的支持。一旦实现，AquaMAV将成为新的机器人应用的主要技术垫脚石，例如在被洪水淹没的建筑中进行搜索和救援，在漏油或核事故后进行水样采样，以及低成本的海洋数据收集，所有这些对英国来说都是至关重要的国家重要领域。

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.