Between Sea and Sky: Aerial Aquatic Locomotion in Miniature Robots

This book reports on the state of the art in the field of aerial-aquatic  locomotion, focusing on the main challenges concerning the translation  of this important ability from nature to synthetic systems, and  describing innovative engineering solutions that have been applied in  practice by the authors at the Aerial Robotics Lab of Imperial College  London.  After a general introduction to aerial-aquatic locomotion in  nature, and a summary of the most important engineering achievements,  the book introduces readers to important physical and mathematical  aspects of the multimodal locomotion problem. Besides the basic physics  involved in aerial-aquatic locomotion, the role of different phenomena  happening in fluids, or those due to structural mechanics effects or to  power provision, are presented in depth, across a large dimension range,  from millimeters to hundreds of meters. In turn, a practice-oriented  discussion on the obstacles and opportunities of miniaturization, for  both robots and animals is carried out. This is followed by applied  engineering considerations, which describe relevant hardware  considerations involved in propulsion, control, communication and  fabrication. Different case studies are analyzed in detail, reporting on  the latest research carried out by the authors, and covering topics  such as propulsive aquatic escape, the challenging mechanics of water  impact, and a hybrid sailing and flying aircraft. Offering extensive and  timely information on the design, construction and operation of  small-scale robots, and on multimodal locomotion, this book provides  researchers, students and professionals with a comprehensive and timely  reference guide to the topic of aerial-aquatic locomotion, and the  relevant bioinspired approaches.  It is also expected to inspire future  research and foster a stronger multidisciplinary discussion in the  field.