Dolphins Play with Robotic Seaplane
Researchers at U-M's Aerospace Engineering Department and its Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratories who designed and built the new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which they named the Flying Fish, think it is the first UAV that can take off and land on water all by itself.
The electrically powered Flying Fish was able to take off, fly and land autonomously 22 times during two days of sea trials held late last year off the coast of Monterey, Calif.
It also became probably the world's most unusual dolphin toy. Remarkably, when the UAV was landing in the sea, scientists on the research vessel John Martin monitoring the tests saw dolphins swim over to investigate.
To the researchers, it appeared that the dolphins thought the UAV was a pelican diving for fish, said Ella Atkins, a researcher from U-M's Aerospace Engineering Department.
