Herself’s Artificial Intelligence

Flying fish were the inspiration for an unmanned seaplane with a 7-foot wingspan developed at the University of Michigan. The autonomous craft is believed to be the first seaplane that can initiate and perform its own takeoffs and landings on water. Funded by the Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), it is designed to advance the agency’s “persistent ocean surveillance” program. [ read more Flying Fish Unmanned Aircraft Takes off and Lands on the Water]

For this robot size matters. Researchers at the lab found that most sea birds were about 20 pounds with a 2 meter wingspan. That’s the sweet spot and what they used for their sea plane. The plane floats until its GPS tells it is too far from home. Then it goes airborne until GPS settings tell it to land.

More Information:
Flying Fish Unmanned Aircraft takes off and lands on water
University of Michigan Hydrodynamics Laboratory
Flying Fish ( home page )

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