SUTD's ALBATROSS robot airdrops into remote waters and sails on wind power

Researchers at the Singapore University of Technology and Design built ALBATROSS, a platform that is dropped from an aircraft, autorotates like a maple seed, rights itself on water and then sails using its wings as sails. A prototype released from 150 m reached about 1 km/h and ran for three hours in reservoir trials, collecting humidity, temperature and wind data.

• Dropped from 150 m, impact energy is about 18.5 times lower than without autorotation
• Reservoir trials: peak speed near 1 km/h and about three hours of operation
• Autonomous navigation uses just three actuators and three sensors
• Next stage: ruggedized open-sea testing and more sensors