Nezha-X: A Self-Foldable HAUV That Can Launch from a Tube
Dongping Wang, Ziyang Zhang, Zheng Zeng, Lian LIAN
AI summary
Problem
Existing multirotor HAUVs suffer from high hydrodynamic drag and limited maneuverability in confined underwater environments due to fixed extended arms and peripheral thruster layouts.
Approach
The authors developed a quadrotor HAUV featuring a single-motor-driven wing mechanism that fully retracts into the fuselage, combined with a tail-mounted inverted triangle thruster array to maintain a streamlined profile.
Key results
- CFD-verified 41.9% underwater drag reduction with folded wings
- Centralized tail thruster system provides sufficient torque for underwater pitch and yaw control
- Field tests confirm successful tube launch, complex underwater navigation, and stable aerial flight
- Lightweight 3 kg design maintains balanced center of gravity and buoyancy across configurations
Why it matters
Advances multirotor HAUV design for confined-space exploration and disaster response by solving critical drag and maneuverability challenges.
Abstract
Hybrid aerial underwater vehicles (HAUVs) are de- veloping rapidly with the urgent need for joint air-sea observation missions. This paper proposes a novel HAUV that combines a folding wing mechanism and an underwater thrust system with a centralized tail in an inverted triangle configuration. In addition to ensuring underwater and aerial maneuverability, the design’s overall streamlined structure minimizes the drag of underwater movement and is more suitable for working in confined spaces. The hydrodynamic performance of the system was evaluated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The re- sults indicate that the folding wing design effectively reduces underwater motion drag by 41.9%. Additionally, the centralized underwater thrust system located at the tail generates sufficient torque to ensure the underwater maneuverability of the HAUV. Field experiments further validate the vehicle’s capability to operate in confined environments, execute complex underwater missions, and maintain stable aerial flight. This study provides valuable insights into the drag reduction of HAUV folding wings and the optimization of thruster configuration.