Scientists at Harvard University have created a microrobot that can traverse both aquatic and aerial environments. The millimeter-sized robot is propelled using flapping wings that run at 220 - 300 Hz in air and about 9 - 13 Hz in water.
In order to transition from swimming to flying, the microrobot uses a small chamber to perform electrolysis , which converts water into a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen gases (oxyhydrogen). This increases the buoyancy of the microrobot and allows its wings to rise above the surface of the water. However, this is insufficient to escape the surface tension of the water, so the gases are then ignited to propel the microrobot upwards into the air.
Source: https://goo.gl/fBpcaf (Wyss Institute)
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