Cross-Medium Vehicle Design

Cross-medium vehicles are defined as “new-concept amphibious unmanned platforms capable of freely traversing between water and air.” With societal development in the 21st century, the aerial flight capabilities and underwater navigation capabilities of cross-medium vehicles have greatly met the demand for activities in both water and air. Their excellent mobility and concealment provide broad application prospects in both civilian and military fields. This paper analyzes the current development status of cross medium vehicles domestically and internationally, focusing on three major design schemes: the water-entry performance and underwater navigation capability of swept-wing models, the stability and response speed of medium transitions in multi-rotor models, and the autonomous movement and cross-medium motion stability of hybrid-wing models. Additionally, two driving schemes are discussed: independent water-air propulsion and integrated water-air propulsion. The research highlights, challenges, and core technologies required for cross-medium vehicles are summarized.