Aerial–aquatic vehicles (AAVs) hold great promise for marine applications, offering adaptability to diverse environments by seamlessly transitioning between underwater and aerial operations. Nevertheless, the design of AAVs poses inherent challenges, owing to the distinct characteristics of different fluid media. This article introduces a novel solution in the form of a tandem dual-rotor aerial–aquatic vehicle, strategically engineered to overcome these challenges. The proposed vehicle boasts a slender and streamlined body, enhancing its underwater mobility while utilizing a tandem rotor for aerial maneuvers. Outdoor scene tests were conducted to assess the tandem dual-rotor AAV’s diverse capabilities, including flying, hovering, and executing repeated cross-media locomotion. Notably, its versatility was further demonstrated through swift surface swimming on water. In addition to aerial evaluations, an underwater experiment was undertaken to evaluate the AAV’s ability to traverse narrow underwater passages. This capability was successfully validated through the creation of a narrow underwater gap. The comprehensive exploration of the tandem dual-rotor AAV’s potential is presented in this article, encompassing its foundational principles, overall design, simulation analysis, and avionics system design. The preliminary research and design outlined herein offer a proof of concept for the tandem dual-rotor AAV, establishing a robust foundation for AAVs seeking optimal performance in both water and air environments. This contribution serves as a valuable reference solution for the advancement of AAV technology.

Drawing inspiration from the intricate soft structures found in nature, soft actuators possess the ability to incrementally execute complex tasks and adapt to dynamic and interactive environments. In particular, the integration of sensor data feedback allows actuators to respond to environmental stimuli with heightened intelligence. However, conventional rigid sensors are constrained by their inherent lack of flexibility. The current manufacturing processes for flexible sensors are complex and fail to align with the inherent simplicity of soft actuators. In this study, to facilitate the straightforward and consistent sensing of soft pneumatic actuators, carbon–polydimethylsiloxane (CPDMS) materials were employed, utilizing 3D printing and laser-cutting techniques to fabricate a flexible sensor with ease. The preparation of standard tensile specimens verified that the sensor exhibits a fatigue life extending to several hundred cycles and determined its gauge factor to be −3.2. Experimental results indicate that the sensor is suitable for application in soft pneumatic actuators. Additionally, a printed circuit board (PCB) was fabricated and the piecewise constant curvature (PCC) kinematic method was utilized to enable real-time pose estimation of the soft pneumatic actuator. Compared with computer vision methods, the pose estimation error obtained by the sensing method is as low as 4.26%. This work demonstrates that this easily fabricated sensor can deliver real-time pose feedback for flexible pneumatic actuators, thereby expanding the potential application scenarios for soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs).