$2.4M Naval Grant Opens Doors for Stony Brook Research Team

A Stony Brook University team, in collaboration with Case Western Reserve University, is developing a robot that can seamlessly transition from the air to the water and to the ocean floor. The researchers received a $2.4 million grant from the Office of Naval Research (ONR). 

Stony Brook’s team, led by William Stewart from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is tackling the project of handling the robots’ journey from the air into the water. Case Western Reserve University, based in Cleveland, Ohio, is handling it from the water onto the ocean floor. Both systems draw inspiration from how a crab moves to perform their individual robotic tasks. 

“It took nature millions of years to produce cormorants and flying fish that move seamlessly from water to air and back,” said Scott Carney, chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “Professor Stewart has engineered his way through it in only a few years.” 

The specifics of what Stony Brook is designing involve the robot’s limbs. 

“What we’re looking at is how we can develop multifunctional robotic limbs and appendages that can be used both in air and in water to facilitate better control and navigation,” Stewart said. 

This research is crucial for Navy developments. Stewart identified the needs for the robot as military observation and communication, among others. The part of the research that focuses on airdropped robots means that a new class of robots can be potentially developed into more advanced products for the Navy. 

Nilanjan Chakraborty’s role in the project, from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is to develop planning and control algorithms that allow a crab-inspired robot to transition from air deployment to water navigation. 

“Beyond the technical advances, this project represents a key first step toward establishing a broader marine robotics research program at Stony Brook University,” said Chakraborty. “Given Long Island’s unique geography and the strengths of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, this work lays the foundation for autonomous robotic systems that can help monitor, protect, and deepen our understanding of local marine ecosystems.” 

This project will also build a test facility at Stony Brook University that is capable of recreating ocean-like conditions with wind and waves. The facility will be used to test robot designs and allow fast iteration of prototype robots. 

Stewart has had previous experience with certain aspects of the project, but in its entirety, the project is new ground for his career. 

“My PhD was on air-water robots that could transition between the two, so in that way it’s a continuation,” Stewart said. “In my postdoc, prior to coming to Stony Brook University, we did a lot of control surface development for morphing robots in the air, but not in the water. And then this is related to a project that was funded by Stony Brook’s Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) seed grant, where we were doing bio-inspired sea turtle robots.” 

The robot’s needs require versatility, adding another level of difficulty to the robotics project. 

“We’re trying to do some difficult things with the robots,” Stewart said. “Trying to get appendages that work in air and in water is rather difficult because water and air have such vastly different fluid properties that trying to bridge that gap is going to be challenging.”

This project is built on collaboration between multiple facilities. With the grant from ONR, many doors have been opened for these researchers. Continuation of the project will lead to advanced development of robotics.