Sunday, March 23, 2025

January 27, 2016

Finally: A Drone That Flies AND Swims [Video]

May we please have a round of applause for the Loon Copter, but especially the choice of music it uses to show off its magic.

Now, I’m just going with the name and the choice of music here, but the inventors of Loon Copter must be just a little crazy. I mean, after all, they did create a drone that not only flies, but goes along the surface of the water and then, (slowly) flipping on its side, makes its way underwater. It’s kinda cute. Maybe I’m just taken by the happiness of the music here, but the timing is too endearing.

Made by some okes over at Oakland University’s Embedded Systems Research, the Loon has a buoyancy chamber that keeps it floating on the surface. It then fills up said chamber to sink under water. AMAZING. Once it’s 90 degrees, it makes its way through the water. To resurface, it releases the captured water and up, up, and away it goes.

[source: mashable]