MIT engineers create a single-wing design that both flies and swims

MIT researchers built a lightweight robot (about half a pound, with a near-3‑foot wingspan) that uses flexible nylon wings reinforced with carbon fiber to fly and swim using the same wings, switching between air and water without extra hardware. The open, individually waterproofed internals keep it light and neutrally buoyant underwater. It flaps about 5–6 Hz in flight and increases to around 10 Hz to break out of the water, with a range of nearly four miles in the air or just over a mile underwater per charge. Future versions may add sensors; the work aims to mimic diving seabirds and enable coastal monitoring applications.