Despite significant advancements in the research of aquatic-aerial robots, existing configurations struggle to efficiently perform underwater, surface, and aerial movement simultaneously. In this paper, we propose a novel multimodal surfing aquatic-aerial vehicle, SurfAA V, which efficiently integrates underwater navigation, surface gliding, and aerial flying capabilities. Thanks to the design of the novel differential thrust vectoring hydrofoil, SurfAA V can achieve efficient surface gliding and underwater navigation without the need for a buoyancy adjustment system. This design provides flexible operational capabilities for both surface and underwater tasks, enabling the robot to quickly carry out underwater monitoring activities. Additionally, when it is necessary to reach another water body, SurfAA V can switch to aerial mode through a gliding takeoff, flying to the target water area to perform corresponding tasks. The main contribution of this letter lies in proposing a new solution for underwater, surface, and aerial movement, designing a novel hybrid prototype concept, developing the required control laws, and validating the robot's ability to successfully perform surface gliding and gliding takeoff. SurfAA V achieves a maximum surface gliding speed of 7.96 m/s and a maximum underwater speed of 3.1 m/s. The prototype's surface gliding maneuverability and underwater cruising maneuverability both exceed those of existing aquatic-aerial vehicles. N recent years, with the rapid development of robotics technology, unmanned aquatic-aerial vehicles(UAA Vs) capable of adapting to complex environments and performing diversified tasks have gradually become a research hotspot. These robots integrate the advantages of both autonomous underwater vehicles(AUVs) and unmanned aerial vehicles(UA Vs), allowing them to freely switch between motion modes in water and air. This capability greatly broadens the application scope of traditional robots, demonstrating enormous potential in multi-domain missions such as environmental monitoring[1], disaster rescue[2], and national defense[3].

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This research introduces a novel hydrofoil-based propulsion framework for unmanned aquatic robots, inspired by the undulating locomotion observed in select aquatic species. The proposed system incorporates a camber-modulating mechanism to enhance hydrofoil propulsive force generation and eventually efficiency. Through dynamic simulations, we validate the effectiveness of the camber-adjusting hydrofoil compared to a symmetric counterpart. The results demonstrate a significant improvement in horizontal thrust, emphasizing the potential of the cambering approach to enhance propulsive performance. Additionally, a prototype flipper design is presented, featuring individual control of heave and pitch motions, as well as a camber-adjustment mechanism. The integrated system not only provides efficient water-based propulsion but also offers the capacity for generating vertical forces during take-off maneuvers for seaplanes. The design is tailored to harness wave energy, contributing to the exploration of alternative energy resources. This work advances the understanding of bionic oscillatory principles for aquatic robots and provides a foundation for future developments in environmentally safe and agile underwater exploration.

Underwater structures that can change their shapes dynamically, the way fish do, push through water much more efficiently than conventional rigid hulls. But constructing deformable devices that can change the curve of their body shapes while maintaining a smooth profile is a long and difficult process. MIT's RoboTuna, for example, was composed of about 3,000 different parts and took about two years to design and build. Now, researchers at MIT and their colleagues--including one from the original RoboTuna team--have come up with an innovative approach to building deformable underwater robots, using simple repeating substructures instead of unique components. The team has demonstrated the new system in two different example configurations, one like an eel and the other a wing-like hydrofoil.

Looking at the America's Cup boats, you can't help but notice how futuristic they appear. But this year, Emirates Team New Zealand had a competitive edge, when they enlisted a new crew member to hyper-boost their boat design process: AI. The 2021 race officially began on March 10, when boats hit the water, but the real competition started three years earlier, when the new Class Rule was released. With each America's Cup, the Class Rule defines the parameters for yacht design -- and design can mean the difference between winning and losing. Once the rule is released, it becomes a race to design and build the fastest possible America's Cup boats.