ZS-Puffin: Design, Modeling and Implementation of an Unmanned Aerial-Aquatic Vehicle with Amphibious Wings

-- Unmanned aerial-aquatic vehicles (UAA Vs) can operate both in the air and underwater, giving them broad application prospects. Inspired by the dual-function wings of puffins, we propose a UAA V with amphibious wings to address the challenge posed by medium differences on the vehicle's propulsion system. The amphibious wing, redesigned based on a fixed-wing structure, features a single degree of freedom in pitch and requires no additional components. It can generate lift in the air and function as a flapping wing for propulsion underwater, reducing disturbance to marine life and making it environmentally friendly. Additionally, an artificial central pattern generator (CPG) is introduced to enhance the smoothness of the flapping motion. This paper presents the prototype, design details, and practical implementation of this concept. I. INTRODUCTION The unmanned aerial-aquatic vehicle (UAA V) is a vehicle that can fly in the air, navigate underwater, and repeatedly cross the air-water interface. The UAA V holds broad prospects in fields such as marine resource exploration and the observation of biological behaviors.