Engineers at the University 's underwater Systems Research Laboratory have built a waterproof drone that can fly through the air , float on water or move through water submerged . The conventional quadcopter has a float that can be used to change the drone 's trajectory , filled either with air to fly or water to sink . water is pumped out of the cyclinder for the water - to - water transition . The creators see the drones being used in search and rescue missions or as underwater diving inspectors .
Engineers at Oakland University's Embedded Systems Research Laboratory have built a waterproof drone that can fly through the air, float on water or move through water submerged. The conventional quadcopter has a cylinder that can be used to change the drone's buoyancy, filled either with air to fly or water to sink. Water is pumped out of the cyclinder for the water-to-air transition. The creators see the drones being used in search and rescue missions or as underwater engineering inspectors.