Abstract

An unmanned vehicle includes a body, at least one power source coupled to the body, a flight propulsion system coupled to the at least one power source and configured to propel the unmanned vehicle through air, and a surface propulsion system coupled to the at least one power source and configured to propel the unmanned vehicle along a surface. The unmanned vehicle is configured to switch between a flight configuration in which the unmanned vehicle is propelled through air via the flight propulsion system, and a surface traverse configuration in which the unmanned vehicle is propelled along the surface via the surface propulsion system. In the surface traverse configuration, the surface propulsion system is configured to engage the surface and to maintain the body in a traversing position below the surface as the surface propulsion system propels the unmanned vehicle along the surface.

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Comments

Docket Number: 22MST021-UTL

Filing Date: 09/20/2023

Issue Date: 05/13/2025, FY25

References Cited

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Prior Publication Data:

US 2024/0101284 A1 March 28, 2024

Patent Application Number

18/370,772

Patent Number

US 12,296,994 B2

Document Type

Patent

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2026 The Curators of the University of Missouri, All rights reserved

Additional Rights Information

Assignee: The Curators of the University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri (US)

Publication Date

13 May, 2025

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