# Embodied Intelligence for Sustainable Flight: A Soaring Robot with Active Morphological Control

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.19684 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.19684/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 27 Aug 2025.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Foundations of Reinforcement Learning and Control:Connections and New Perspectives](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.02433/) (2026)
- [Shaping Wind-Tunnel Airflow for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles using Online Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.03378/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Achieving both agile maneuverability and high energy efficiency in aerial robots, particularly in dynamic wind environments, remains challenging. Conventional thruster-powered systems offer agility but suffer from high energy consumption, while fixed-wing designs are efficient but lack hovering and maneuvering capabilities. We present Floaty, a shape-changing robot that overcomes these limitations by passively soaring, harnessing wind energy through intelligent morphological control inspired by birds. Floaty's design is optimized for passive stability, and its control policy is derived from an experimentally learned aerodynamic model, enabling precise attitude and position control without active propulsion. Wind tunnel experiments demonstrate Floaty's ability to hover, maneuver, and reject disturbances in vertical airflows up to 10 m/s. Crucially, Floaty achieves this with a specific power consumption of 10 W/kg, an order of magnitude lower than thruster-powered systems. This introduces a paradigm for energy-efficient aerial robotics, leveraging morphological intelligence and control to operate sustainably in challenging wind conditions.