Researchers from China, South Korea and the United States have created microchip capable of passive flight. The miniature devices of about a millimeter became the most small in the world by flying devices. The article dedicated to them is published in the journal Nature.
When creating a device, scientists were inspired by multiple wind seeds of plants, in which the transverse distribution with passive mechanisms is optimized. During the development of microchips, researchers with the help of modeling studied the aerodynamics of a number of seeds. Star-shaped tristellate seeds were the greatest impact on the final design – plants from the Malpigayev family.
As a result, scientists have created a set of about a millimeter differing in the form of devices and experienced them in the aerodynamic tube to determine how much of the design parameters – diameter, structure and type of wings – their flight depends. It turned out that microchips at the expense of a stable rotational movement have even lesser speed at the fall point than seeds.
Microchips are made of two-dimensional blanks made of polymer with a shape memory fixed on a stretched substrate from the elastomer. When that returns to the equilibrium state, the managed compression process causes the workpiece to take the necessary form. The resulting device consists of two parts: wings and millimeter functional component.
Microchips can be equipped with a different payload – so, in experiments, scientists have installed them pH sensors, source of energy and antenna for wireless data transmission. It is assumed that the devices can be scattered from buildings or aircraft and use to monitor the environment or observation of the population.