SurfAAV: Design and Implementation of a Novel Multimodal Surfing Aquatic-Aerial Vehicle
Kun Liu, Junhao Xiao, Hao Lin, Yue Cao, Hui Peng, Kaihong Huang, Huimin Lu
AI summary
Problem
Existing aquatic-aerial robots struggle to efficiently combine underwater navigation, surface gliding, and aerial flight, often relying on complex buoyancy systems or suffering from high drag and limited cross-domain mobility.
Approach
The design integrates a fixed-wing aerial section with a differential thrust vectoring hydrofoil, enabling seamless transitions between underwater navigation, high-speed surface gliding, and aerial flight without buoyancy control.
Key results
- Maximum surface gliding speed of 7.96 m/s
- Maximum underwater speed of 3.1 m/s
- Successful validation of underwater navigation, surface gliding, and aerial takeoff
- Elimination of buoyancy adjustment systems via differential thrust vectoring
Why it matters
Provides a highly efficient, rapid-response platform for multi-domain environmental monitoring and disaster rescue by overcoming the speed and mobility bottlenecks of current aquatic-aerial robots.
Abstract
Despite significant advancements in the research of aquatic-aerial robots, existing configurations struggle to effi- ciently perform underwater, surface, and aerial movement. In this paper, we propose a novel multimodal surfing aquatic- aerial vehicle, SurfAAV, which efficiently integrates underwater navigation, surface gliding, and aerial flying capabilities. Thanks to the design of the novel differential thrust vectoring hydrofoil, SurfAAV 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, SurfAAV 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. SurfAAV achieves a maximum surface gliding speed of 7.96 m/s and a maximum underwater speed of 3.1 m/s. The prototype’s max surface gliding speed and max underwater cruising speed both exceed those of existing aquatic-aerial vehicles.