  Bio-inspired vehicles are currently leading the way in the quest to produce a
vehicle capable of flight and underwater navigation. However, a fully
functional vehicle has not yet been realized. We present the first fully
functional vehicle platform operating in air and underwater with seamless
transition between both mediums. These unique capabilities combined with the
hovering, high maneuverability and reliability of multirotor vehicles, results
in a disruptive technology for both civil and military application including
air/water search and rescue, inspection, repairs and survey missions among
others. The invention was built on a bio-inspired locomotion force analysis
that combines flight and swimming. Three main advances in the present work has
allowed this invention. The first is the discovery of a seamless transition
method between air and underwater. The second is the design of a multi-medium
propulsion system capable of efficient operation in air and underwater. The
third combines the requirements for lift and thrust for flight (for a given
weight) and the requirements for thrust and neutral buoyancy (in water) for
swimming. The result is a careful balance between lift, thrust, weight, and
neutral buoyancy implemented in the vehicle design. A fully operational
prototype demonstrated the flight, and underwater navigation capabilities as
well as the rapid air/water and water/air transition.
