Engineers at the University of North Carolina have developed amphibian drone with a stiff wing that can fly, dive into water and conduct underwater research. Unlike their colleagues, EagleRay XAV does not just know how to sit on the surface to be charged by the energy of the sun or underwater shooting. It is more like a British invention AquaMav, but, unlike him, does not fold the wings before the dive, but keeps them widely spaced. Their scope, by the way, is 150 cm, and in the length of the drone - 140 cm. The propeller on the nose allows the device to move easily in both air and water. Such versatility gives a number of advantages. According to the developers, EagleRay is able to increase battery life by diving, or to study the underwater fauna both from above and in the natural habitat. He is able to conduct observations that ordinary airborne drones are not capable of, and fly over long distances that are inaccessible to water vehicles. "EagleRay can actively use underwater sensors, moving from one place to another," says one of the developers, William Stewart. - For example, sonars work only under water.

If you are looking for something using a sonar, EagleRay can fly into place, dive under water, get sonar data and fly to a new point. Usually, airplanes need to drop hydroacoustic buoys for this ". Now engineers are thinking about how to reduce or increase the size of the drone, and also develop a controller that allows the operator to easily control the device both in the air and in the water, writes New Atlas.

Original article: A drone with a hard wing EagleRay is able to fly and swim under water.