Science Daily September 22, 2021
An international team of researchers (South Korea, UK, USA – Northwestern University, University of Wisconsin, University of Connecticut, University of Illinois, University of Purdue, China, Hong Kong) studied wind-dispersed seeds to build microfliers and optimized its aerodynamics to ensure that it falls at a slow velocity in a controlled manner. They fabricated precursors to flying structures in flat, planar geometries and bonded them onto a slightly stretched rubber substrate. When the stretched substrate is relaxed, a controlled buckling process occurred causing the wings to “pop up” into precisely defined three-dimensional forms. It included sensors, a power source to harvest ambient energy, memory storage and an antenna that can wirelessly transfer data to a smart phone, tablet or computer. According to the researchers microfliers could be used to monitor air pollution, airborne disease and more…read more. Video TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Comparison of G0 and G1 across all classes of fliers. Credit: Nature volume 597, pages503–510 (2021)Â