Robot can fly, swim or hitch a ride by sticking to other objects

A robotic drone that can travel through air and water, and also attach itself to larger objects with a suction cup, could be useful for tagging wild animals, say its creators. The suction cup is inspired by the remora fish, which attaches itself to larger marine creatures in a symbiotic relationship where the remora eats parasites that would irritate its host and also gets a ride in return. "My original thought was'let's find a point where we can beat nature'," says Li Wen at Beihang University in Beijing. "Let's do a robot that can not only swim and stick underwater, but also can fly into the air and stick in the air. I don't think there are any animals that can do this."