We have seen a few aerial drones capable of venturing underwater, but none that can enter and exit the marine environment quite like the so-called AquaMav. Built by engineers at Imperial College London, the drone uses collapsible wings to dive like a fish-hunting seabird and scoop up water samples from beneath the surface, and then launch like a flying fish when it's time to return to the skies.

Models like the Loon Copter, the HexH2o and CRACUNS have explored the possibilities of amphibious aircraft, but in the view of the Imperial College researchers, drones that can transition from the air to the water tend to make some sort of compromise. So the team sought to overcome this by designing a thin missile-shaped drone that can use a reconfigurable wing for smoother entry.

The drone weighs only 200 g (7 oz) and flies through the air courtesy of a fixed-wing design. But when it's time to get wet, the wings fold up in line with its slender body and allow it to burst through the surface of the water, in much the same way a gannet dives for fish – something it does at up to 97 km/h (60 mph).