Hybrid robots: exploring aerial-aquatic locomotion with wings and physical interaction
Aerial-aquatic robotics has the potential to transform how we collect physical and biological data in lakes and oceans by providing high-speed and easily deployable data sampling platforms that deliver accurate in-situ measurements at low cost. However, operating across air and water remains fundamentally challenging due to large density difference, unpredictable surface state, lack of underwater communication, and often opposing locomotion constraints. In this talk, I will present design strategies and robotic implementations that address these challenges, focusing on unconventional vehicles that adapt their propulsion and morphology with minimal added actuation to operate efficiently in both media. A particular emphasis will be placed on the actuation, mechanics and control of water-to-air transitions, a power-intensive phase in multi-media locomotion. In the second part, I will discuss our work on flapping-wing propulsion and how diving birds inspire new approaches for seamless multimodal locomotion. Together, these advances illustrate a path toward robust aerial-aquatic agents capable of expanding observational capacity in environmental sciences, monitoring of infrastructures and comparative biology studies.
Bio:
Dr. Raphael Zufferey is the William I. Koch Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT since January 2025. He received his PhD in Aeronautics from Imperial College London, UK, in 2020 and recently completed a Marie Curie postdoctoral fellowship at EPFL, Switzerland. His main research interests lie in the development of novel, integrated robotic systems designed to tackle challenging locomotion and interaction tasks. His work spans mechanical design, fluid dynamics, embedded electronics, and control, with a particular focus on hybridizing flight in small-scale robots. Raphael has also conducted research at Harvard and the University of Seville. He was awarded the Best PhD in Robotics UK award for his accomplishments. His research group, the Aerial and Underwater Robotics Applications (AURA) Lab, studies bio-inspired methods and unconventional designs to solve seamless aerial and aquatic locomotion, as well as winged propulsion and direct applications to ocean sciences.