This past April, the United States Patent and Trademark Organization approved Boeing's patent application to build a drone that is "adaptable for both flight and water travel." Like most patents initially, the adaptable vehicle is still just a design — but if it reaches the production stage, then it has an interesting set of potential applications, especially in the context of military defense.
So how would this transformer-like drone work exactly?
Well, the magic is in all the different working parts. An underwater drone is launched atop an aircraft carrier and later released. Upon reaching the surface of the water, the smaller underwater drone sheds its superfluous and heavy parts (wings, air propellers, etc.) to optimize its hydrodynamic abilities. Imagine the scene of a space shuttle ejecting its excessive machinery upon entering the orbit.
When submerged, these detached parts would be replaced with a new set of underwater propellers and various control surfaces to help maneuver it. There is also a buoyancy tank that controls the depth of the drone underwater.
This kind of system has been used in making payload deliveries and for covert reconnaissance missions. When it resurfaces, it can transmit the data it has collected back to its home base.
Although the idea – or different variations of it – isn't new, it will be interesting to see the private sector's take on the technology if it goes into production.
Here's a video from Patent Yogi that helps explain the vehicle's workings in greater detail:
