Developed by Chinese scientists, TJ-FlyingFish is a hybrid drone that can both fly in the air and move underwater. Combining the advantages of traditional aerial and underwater drones, the innovative device could be a breakthrough, especially in reconnaissance and search and rescue operations.
The Chinese have designed a flying and floating drone
Developed by the Shanghai Research Institute for Intelligent Autonomous Systems, Tongji University and the Unmanned Systems Research Group of China Hong Kong University, TJ-FlyingFish is currently being tested as a prototype.
The drone, which looks like a classic four-propeller aircraft from the outside, offers unique mobility thanks to a special dual-speed transmission system and independently rotatable propeller arms.
While flying in the air, the drone rotates at high speed with all propellers pointing upwards, and when it lands on the water, it directs its propellers downwards and operates at low speed and can dive under water. In order to move underwater, it can move in both vertical and horizontal directions by independently adjusting the angle and thrust of each propeller. When it completes its mission, it resurfaces and takes off again.
It was stated that this new generation drone is lighter than similar air-water drones previously developed. Traditional underwater drones are usually heavy with the hardware added to a standard quadcopter body. However, TJ-FlyingFish has a light and manoeuvrable structure due to its design.
The device, which is in the prototype stage, weighs 1.63 kg and can move for six minutes in the air and 40 minutes underwater on a battery charge. The drone, which can dive to a maximum depth of three metres, can reach a speed of 7.2 kilometres per hour under water. In addition, it can work completely autonomously and fulfil its mission without the need for human intervention.
TJ-FlyingFish, which is planned to be used in various fields such as remote sensing, environmental research and search and rescue operations, offers an important example of how autonomous air and underwater systems will be shaped in the future.
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