Hybrid Aerial-Underwater Vehicle Dynamics and Control

Hybrid aerial–underwater vehicles, capable of seamless transitions between air and water environments, represent a frontier in unmanned vehicle research. The underlying dynamics encompass rapid variation in fluid density, drag and added mass, as well as non-linear buoyancy effects at the interface. Control strategies must address these abrupt changes while maintaining stability and manoeuvrability. Modelling typically integrates a multi-physics approach that captures aerodynamic lift, hydrodynamic resistance and transient forces during the trans-media process. Robust controllers, such as adaptive sliding mode, active disturbance rejection and incremental nonlinear dynamic inversion, have been developed to compensate for uncertainties in model parameters and environmental disturbances. Kinematic stability criteria guide design optimisation by quantifying the influence of geometry and thruster configuration on safe passage through the air–water boundary. Practical applications range from marine environmental monitoring and search and rescue to offshore infrastructure inspection, highlighting the global significance of this technology. Advances in sensor fusion, real-time state estimation and energy-efficient propulsion systems continue to drive the evolution of hybrid platforms, fostering greater autonomy and resilience in complex aquatic–aerial missions.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Hybrid Aerial-Underwater Vehicle Dynamics and Control publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in hybrid aerial-underwater vehicle dynamics and control across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Added mass: The extra inertia a vehicle experiences when accelerating in a fluid due to displaced fluid.

Drag force: Resistance exerted by air or water opposing the vehicle’s motion.

Trans-media: The process of crossing between two distinct fluid environments, typically air and water.

Active Disturbance Rejection Control (ADRC): A control method that estimates and compensates for internal and external disturbances in real time.

Sliding mode control: A robust control technique that forces system trajectories onto a predefined sliding surface despite uncertainties.

Dynamic inversion: A control strategy that cancels non-linear dynamics to achieve desired system behaviour through feedback linearisation.

References

1. Research on vertical air–water trans-media control of Hybrid Unmanned Aerial Underwater Vehicles based on adaptive sliding mode dynamical surface control. International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems (2018).
2. Dynamic model and ADRC of a novel water-air unmanned vehicle for water entry with in-ground effect. Journal of Vibroengineering (2016).
3. Attitude and Altitude Control of Unmanned Aerial-Underwater Vehicle Based on Incremental Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion. IEEE Access (2020).
4. System Modeling and Simulation of an Unmanned Aerial Underwater Vehicle. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (2019).
5. Trans-Media Kinematic Stability Analysis for Hybrid Unmanned Aerial Underwater Vehicle. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (2022).
6. Research on Amphibious Multi-Rotor UAV Out-of-Water Control Based on ADRC. Applied Sciences (2023).
7. Design and Demonstration of a Tandem Dual-Rotor Aerial–Aquatic Vehicle. Drones (2024).