MIT has designed a legless robot that flies and dives like a seabird; the trick is in the takeoff angle

MIT and EPFL built a 300-gram flapping-wing robot that can both fly and dive into water.

The drone uses wing design, a water-repellent coating, and a critical 70-degree takeoff angle to switch between air and water.

It has no legs or propellers, making it a biomimetic aerial-aquatic robot inspired by seabirds.

The prototype could enable new multi-environment drones for scientific sampling and remote exploration.