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Smallest-Ever Human-Made Flying Structure Is A Winged Microchip, Scientists Say
It's neither a bird nor a plane, but a winged microchip as small as a grain of sand that can be carried by the wind as it monitors such things as pollution levels or the spread of airborne diseases.
The tiny microfliers, whose development by engineers at Northwestern University was detailed in an article published by Nature this week, are being billed as the smallest-ever human-made flying structures.
The devices don't have a motor; engineers were instead inspired by the maple tree's free-falling propeller seeds — technically known as samara fruit. The engineers optimized the aerodynamics of the microfliers so that "as these structures fall through the air, the interaction between the air and those wings cause a rotational motion that creates a very stable, slow-falling velocity," said John A. Rogers, who led the development of the devices.
[...] The wind would scatter the tiny microchips, which could sense their surrounding environments and collect information. The scientists say they could potentially be used to monitor for contamination, surveil populations or even track diseases.
Three-dimensional electronic microfliers inspired by wind-dispersed seeds
Journal Reference:
Bong Hoon Kim, Kan Li, Jin-Tae Kim, et al. Three-dimensional electronic microfliers inspired by wind-dispersed seeds, Nature (DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03847-y)
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Friday September 24 2021, @07:22AM (2 children)
You may imagine a Jeff Goldblum line from Jurassic Park at this point if you so desire.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday September 24 2021, @09:25AM
No need for nano-particles for covid-19, 5G is more than enough.
The vaccines, tho', ... could benefit from sands of grain jumping to the throat of unsuspecting ... ummm.. innocents and introducing foreign substances into their precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice.
You may imagine a Sterling Hayden telling how he denies the women his life essence if you so desire.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 25 2021, @12:05AM
brundlefly would be funnier