-Homeland security and national defense include many missions that would be served by a multisensor platform capable of flying, landing, perching, and walking. Soldiers in an urban environment could obtain near-and medium-field intelligence by deploying the vehicle and landing it on the top of a building. Maritime domain protection would be significantly enhanced by a small aerial vehicle that could 'perch on' (hang from) the high point of a cargo ship during onboard inspection. The surveillance capability of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are beginning to enjoy widespread use in military and reconnaissance situations, could be significantly enhanced by a vehicle with sufficient stealth to gain closer approach to the surveillance target without being detected. Finally, long term surveillance could be performed by a vehicle capable of flying, walking, and taking off from the ground. The Morphing Micro Air-Land Vehicle (MMALV) has been developed in response to these opportunities in surveillance and intelligence gathering.MMALV integrates the University of Florida's micro air vehicle (MAV) technology with the terrestrial mobility of MiniWhegs™. MMALV is capable of flying and walking, and successfully performs the transition from flight to walking. Furthermore, MMALV is currently able to transition from terrestrial to aerial locomotion by walking off the roof of a two story building. A wing retraction mechanism improves the portability of the vehicle, as well as its terrestrial stealth and ability to enter small openings. A tail hook is currently in the design process, to allow for the 'perching' behavior.

Surf-zone environments represent an extreme challenges to robot operation. A robot that autonomously navigates rocky terrain, constantly changing underwater currents, hard-packed moist sand and loose dry sand characterizing this environment, would have significant utility in a range of defence and civilian missions. The study of animal locomotion mechanisms can elucidate specific movement principles that can be applied to address these demands. In this work, we report on the design and optimization of a biologically inspired amphibious robot for deployment and operation in an ocean beach environment. We specifically report a new design fusing a range of insectinspired passive mechanisms with active autonomous control architectures to seamlessly adapt to and traverse a range of challenging substrates both in and out of the water, and the design and construction of SeaDog, a proof-of-concept amphibious robot built for navigating rocky or sandy beaches and turbulent surf zones. The robot incorporates a layered hull and chassis design that is integrated into a waterproof Explorer Case in order to provide a large, protected payload in an easy-to-carry package. It employs a rugged drivetrain with four wheel-legs and a unique tail design and actuation strategy to aid in climbing, swimming and stabilization. Several modes of terrestrial and aquatic locomotion are suggested and tested versus range of mobility metrics, including data obtained in simulation and hardware testing. A waterproofing strategy is also tested and discussed, providing a foundation for future generations of amphibious mobile robots.