Some drones fly in the air, others zoom across or through the water, but this rare hybrid does both with graceful ease, diving underwater then returning to the skies on demand.

Created by Oakland University’s Embedded Systems Research, the Loon Copter works much like a regular flying drone, and can also land and float easily on the water thanks to a bouyancy chamber filled with air.

However, it can also fill that chamber up, allowing it to sink, then flip its rotors to propel it through the water. To fly, it ejects the ballast and goes airborne again. Faster than a submarine, it can scout in the water, then return to and hover above the surface for rescure or recovery operations.

Its creators are working on extending its wireless range to allow it to go even further below the waves. More from its makers: “Loon Copter is a novel multi-rotor platform capable of traditional aerial flight, on-water surface operation, and sub aquatic diving. The Loon Copter is a proof-of-concept vehicle that demonstrated successful operation in early 2015. The 3rd prototype of our Loon Copter won the 2016 UAE Drones for Good competition in Dubai, which received 1017 entries from 165 countries.”

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Just a few hundred atoms in size, this ultra-tiny submarine measures distances in nanometers and uses light to drive it forward – despite its diminutive dimensions, it has a remarkable top speed of one inch per second, making the sub “the fastest-moving molecules ever seen in solution.”

While the entertainment value and wow-factors exist as well, there are also many potential serious and world-changing applications being explored, from organic nanobots to medical delivery systems.

“Each of the single-molecule, 244-atom submersibles built in the Rice University lab of chemist James Tour has a motor powered by ultraviolet light. With each full revolution, the motor’s tail-like propeller moves the sub forward 18 nanometers.”

Tour’s group has worked a lot with molecular micro-machines; his lab introduced the world to nanocars, single-molecule cars with four wheels, axles and independent suspensions that could be “driven” across surfaces. Assembling at this scale, the material inputs are small but the distances and forces in play relatively huge, opening up a world of tiny possibilities.

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Scientists have discovered the first example of a bio-illuminated reptile in the form of a fluorescent turtle, found while filming surrounding sea life in the Solomon Islands.

This critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle had been previously documented but never exhibiting illuminating behavior like this variety.

Marine biologist David Gruber of City University of New York found it swimming amongst sea life while taping coral and fish. Unlike bioluminescent organism, the turtle does not generate its own light but reflects blue lights as other colors.

From Colossal: “Many undersea creatures like coral, sharks, and some shrimp have shown the ability to show single green, red, or orange colors under the right lighting conditions, but according to National Geographic, no organisms have shown the ability to emit two distinct colors like the hawksbill. As seen in the video, the coloring appears not only in mottled patterns on the turtle’s shell, but even extends within the cracks of its head and feet. Gruber mentions this could be a mixture of both glowing red glowing algae attached to the turtle, but the yellow fluorescence is undoubtedly part of the animal.”

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Life preservers are the seatbelts of swimming: we all know we should wear them, but some of us refuse, no matter how dangerous that refusal might be. Instead of debating over wearing the big orange life vest, Kingii offers an unobtrusive way to stay safe at the beach.

The little device fits on your wrist; one component is a bit larger than a pack of bubble gum while the other component is roughly the size of a can of pepper spray. They’re mounted on a waterproof wrist band and the whole thing allows for a full range of movement when worn. A built-in compass on the wristband can help you find your way back to shore, and a whistle makes you more easily findable to rescue workers.

If you get into trouble in the water and need a lift, all it takes is a simple pull of a lever. A CO2 cartridge quickly inflates a buoyant orange pouch that carries you right up to the surface of the water. After you use it, Kingii is fully rechargeable; just fold up the balloon and tuck it into its pocket, then put a new CO2 cartridge in place.

The Kingii’s inventor, Tom Agapiades, was inspired to create the device after a close friend drowned in a lake. The project raised hundreds of times its fundraising goal on Indiegogo; after its initial run it will retail for $89.99 on Amazon and elsewhere.

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Swimming is one of the best parts of summer, but for parents it can also be one of the most nerve-wracking. Even kids who are strong swimmers can find themselves bobbing under the water unintentionally, causing them to panic and lose control. That’s where a smart new product called iSwimband hopes to help.

The product is work as a headband on older kids or as a wristband on babies and toddlers. Parents can designate, via the product’s app, how long an older child can be underwater before an alarm goes off. Kids who like to swim the length of the pool underwater can have longer limits, while those who can barely doggy-paddle should be allowed shorter underwater dips.

For the younger set, the armband sets off an alarm as soon as the child enters the water. This early alert tells parents immediately when a baby or toddler has fallen into the pool, perhaps shaving precious seconds off of the time it takes to notice and retrieve the tot.

The free app that goes along with iSwimband works with any Bluetooth-enabled smart device and will send up the alarm as soon as danger is detected. Although there is no real substitute for the careful attention and supervision of an adult, the iSwimband can help parents realize that their child is in trouble sooner than they might without the digital assistant.

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