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Biomimetics
Special Issues
Advances in Bionic Aircraft, Underwater Vehicles, and Unmanned Aerial–Underwater Vehicles
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Advances in Bionic Aircraft, Underwater Vehicles, and Unmanned Aerial–Underwater Vehicles

A special issue of Biomimetics (ISSN 2313-7673). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomimetic Design, Constructions and Devices".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 902

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Zhijun Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of CNC Equipment Reliability (Ministry of Education), School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Interests: intelligent engineering and advanced design theory; micro aircraft; engineering biomimetic technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Jiyu Sun

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Interests: insect flight biomimetics; micro aerial vehicles; agricultural biomimetic machinery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yueming Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering, Huzhou University, Huzhou, China
Interests: bio-inspired design; bionic wear resistance; drag reduction; bionic materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, “Advances in Bionic Aircraft, Underwater Vehicles, and Unmanned Aerial–Underwater Vehicles,” aims to comprehensively explore the cutting-edge developments in the design, modeling, control, and application of advanced vehicles capable of operating in air, water, or both media. The field has experienced remarkable growth in recent years, driven by the need for more versatile, efficient, and adaptive autonomous systems that can operate across multiple environments.

We invite contributions that showcase the latest advances in biomimetic design principles, innovative morphing structures, and sophisticated propulsion systems that enable seamless transition between air and water. The Special Issue will specifically focus on the integration of biologically inspired concepts from nature (such as avian flight patterns, fish locomotion, and marine animal adaptations) into the development of next-generation unmanned systems.

We seek contributions that not only present technical advancements but also discuss the future directions, limitations, and potential impact on the broader field of autonomous systems. The Special Issue will provide a valuable platform for researchers, engineers, and industry professionals to share their knowledge and insights, fostering collaboration and innovation in this rapidly evolving area of research.

Prof. Dr. Zhijun Zhang
Prof. Dr. Jiyu Sun
Dr. Yueming Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomimetics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bio-inspired design
  • bionic unmanned systems
  • bionic aircraft
  • bionic robotic fish
  • bionic underwater vehicles
  • computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
  • high maneuverability
  • numerical and experimental methods
  • amphibious robotics

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

26 pages, 8273 KB  
Article
Numerical Investigation of the Water-Exit Performance of a Bionic Unmanned Aerial-Underwater Vehicle with Front-Mounted Propeller
by Yu Dong, Qigan Wang, Wei Wu and Zhijun Zhang
Biomimetics 2026, 11(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics11010021 - 31 Dec 2025
Viewed by 584
Abstract
This work presents a numerical study of the water-exit characteristics of a bioinspired unmanned aerial-underwater vehicle (UAUV) equipped with a front-mounted propeller. A robust solution framework was established on the basis of a modified Shear Stress Transport (SST) turbulence model, volume of fluid [...] Read more.
This work presents a numerical study of the water-exit characteristics of a bioinspired unmanned aerial-underwater vehicle (UAUV) equipped with a front-mounted propeller. A robust solution framework was established on the basis of a modified Shear Stress Transport (SST) turbulence model, volume of fluid (VOF) multiphase formulation, overset grid technique, and six degrees of freedom (6-DOF) motion model; the framework was verified against a canonical water-exit case of a sphere. Inspired by the morphology and water-exit behavior of flying fish, a bioinspired three-dimensional (3D) model was designed. Using this framework, the effects of the front-mounted propeller configuration, exit velocity, and exit angle were examined; the exit process under different conditions was analyzed; and the relationship between exit drag and exit state was quantified. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach can resolve the water-exit performance of the bioinspired UAUV in detail. Folding the front-mounted propeller effectively reduces exit drag and mitigates high-pressure concentrations on the blades. When the exit velocity is ≥8 m/s and the exit angle θ ≤ 30°, the peak exit drag does not surpass 90.004 N. The peak exit drag exhibits a pronounced quadratic relationship with both exit velocity and exit angle. To ensure safe water exit, the UAUV should avoid exiting with the front-mounted propeller deployed and avoid excessively low exit velocities and overly large exit angles. The numerical investigation of exit drag provides effective bioinspired design guidelines and a feasible analysis strategy for UAUV development. In conclusion, the findings provide crucial insights for designing more efficient bioinspired UAUVs, particularly in terms of minimizing water-exit drag and optimizing the configuration of the front-mounted propeller. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bionic Aircraft, Underwater Vehicles, and Unmanned Aerial–Underwater Vehicles)
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