How falling seeds inspired the world's smallest flying robot

Blowin' in the wind by Jennifer Walter Sep. 22, 2021 Northwestern University

At first glance, these might look like tiny shreds of tinfoil on a piece of glass. Northwestern University

F. Frankel But look closer, and you’ll see the specks are actually intricate structures — tiny robots, called microfliers.

Though they have no motor or engine, the microfliers can soar on the wind like seeds. Researchers writing in a September 22 report in the journal Nature say these devices are the smallest man-made structures capable of flight. Northwestern University

The devices range in size, with the smallest about the size of a grain of sand. For a sense of scale, here’s a microflier next to a common ant.

Northwestern University

Northwestern University Two main parts make up a microflier: millimeter-sized electronic components (like sensors and circuits), and wings made of polymer.

The design was inspired by “helicopter seeds,” which fall from maple trees.

Northwestern University

robert reader/Moment/Getty Images “These biological structures are designed to fall slowly and in a controlled manner, so they can interact with wind patterns for the longest-possible period of time.” John A. Rogers, study coauthor

But what can you do with a robot this small? The researchers say they could be deployed to monitor air pollution, airborne diseases, and water quality. Northwestern University

Northwestern University They even created a version that’s water-soluble, a type of electronics design that researchers of the Nature paper had done previous work on.

Similar micro-robotics projects from the past few years could help with drug delivery and pollution cleanup.

And while they may tackle different problems, many miniature robots have something in common: they often take inspiration from nature.

How falling seeds inspired the world's smallest flying robot

The devices range in size, with the smallest about the size of a grain of sand. For a sense of scale, here’s a microflier next to a common ant.

The design was inspired by “helicopter seeds,” which fall from maple trees.

More stories from Inverse