Design, Fast-Prototyping, and Test of an Air-Water Buoy-Based Drone for Affordable Remote Oceanic Monitoring

Ocean monitoring is crucial for environmental understanding and conservation, yet traditional methods often face challenges in cost, logistics, and scalability. This paper presents the design, rapid prototyping, and initial testing of PeliKwad, a novel hybrid air-water multi-rotor drone conceived as an affordable, buoy-based node for remote oceanic monitoring networks. The potential impact of PeliKwad on environmental conservation is significant, as it offers a more affordable and scalable solution to the challenges of ocean monitoring. Developed under a highly constrained one-month schedule for operational validation, the PeliKwad v1 prototype leverages a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) frame combined with custom-designed elements, prioritizing the core functionality of sea landing and surface operation. The methodology focused on pragmatic engineering choices, utilizing in-house rapid prototyping capabilities (3D printing with PA6-CF and Tough PLA) and readily available components. The resulting prototype (AUW<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1</sup> 2.26 kg) was successfully deployed during the French Navy's Dronathlon 2024 exercise, demonstrating stable flight, successful water landing after ship launch, and functional in-situ data acquisition (temperature, salinity, GPS). Key challenges related to RF communication in maritime environments and the need for further waterproofing robustness were identified. These initial results validate the core concept and the fast-prototyping approach, paving the way for the development of an optimized PeliKwad v2 aimed at enhanced autonomy, payload capacity, and operational endurance.