MIT-EPFL’s $300 robotic bird masters air-to-water-to-air flight

MIT and EPFL built a bird-sized robot that can fly, dive underwater, swim, and launch back into the air using flexible wings. Costing about $300, it completes an air-to-water-to-air cycle with flapping wings alone—the first bird-scale machine to do so—though autonomous navigation and saltwater durability remain for future work, with potential applications in environmental monitoring.