Researchers from Oakland University must have been tired of ordinary drones used for aerial operations, or robots whose main functions were to dive underwater. So they decided to create the ultimate vehicle capable of flying, floating, and diving.
The Loon Copter has been a work-in-progress over the past year and is now one of 10 international semifinalist in the 2016 Drones for Good competition, which received 1,017 entries from 165 countries. The final competition will be held in February in Dubai with a grand prize of $1 million.
As a waterproof aerial vehicle, Loon Copter can cover large distances over water in a short amount of time and when compared to ordinary aircraft it’s hovering capabilities make it an asset for scanning areas of interest.
While flying and floating may not be skills for a drone to write home about, the team equipped its machine with a buoyancy chamber which fills up and allows its to dive below the water’s surface, without using any energy.
Buoyancy and depth-control is carried out by a water pump that controls the amount of water ballast on-board. The vehicle’s four motors are used to maneuver underwater. The drone can then resurface by ejecting all ballast water.
The Loon Copter team envisions potential applications in underwater search, environmental monitoring and above and underwater structure inspection.
To learn more about Loon Copter or the Drones for Good Competition visit the website.
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