Model Building and Testing as an Undergraduate Research Approach to Advancing Air-Assisted Marine Vehicle Technology

摘要

High-performance air-assisted marine vehicles can benefit many naval and civil applications. However, traditional R&D methods for these craft require enormous resources and sophisticated facilities. An innovative undergraduate research approach has been initiated that aims at advancing the air-supported marine vehicle technology. An emphasis is made on building and testing models of novel air-assisted amphibious transport concepts. One research project and outreach activities are described in this paper.