Featured system

AQUA

An aquatic robot capable of both legged locomotion and swimming, designed for operations near the surface and underwater.

RoleMechanical integration, mobility platform development, robotics prototyping

TimelineExperimental mobility research platform

TagsAquatic robot / locomotion / underwater systems

Summary

AQUA supports surface and underwater movement, bottom crawling, and controlled motion without thrusters by using six paddles as both control surfaces and walking legs.

Challenge

Creating one platform that can move effectively across different aquatic modes means the locomotion strategy must remain useful above the surface, underwater, and in contact with the bottom.

Approach

The robot uses six paddles as dual-purpose locomotion elements, functioning as swimming control surfaces and as legs for bottom-contact motion. That gives AQUA a distinct approach to mobility compared with thruster-only underwater platforms.

System breakdown

Dual-mode locomotion hardwarePaddles serve as both control surfaces and walking legs.

Body architectureBuilt to operate near the surface and underwater while preserving controllability.

Mobility intentSupports swimming, surface motion, and bottom crawling in one integrated platform.

Gallery

Prototype imagery and motion clips.

AQUA prototype. — Prototype view of the aquatic robot platform.

AQUA operation. — Operation context showing the robot in the water.

Motion reference for one deployment mode.

Additional motion reference for the platform.

Lessons learned

Interesting aquatic mobility demands simple, robust mechanisms. AQUA underlines how tightly coupled mechanical design and control behavior become when the same appendages must handle more than one mode of movement.

Outcome

AQUA demonstrates a compelling alternative to traditional aquatic platform design by using one integrated mobility system for swimming and bottom-contact locomotion.