Inspired by dandelion seeds, newly developed sensors can be spread over large areas by UAVs to monitor climate change and forest fires As we face more and more ecological challenges, collecting environmental data will be very important for developing technologies that help heal nature. Researchers at the University of Washington have a new tool that they hope will help in this effort: tiny battery free sensors that can be dispersed in the wind through drones and collect environmental data on a large scale.
These sensors are inspired by the seeds of dandelion, a wind-driven plant that inspired its design. The electronic device that collects data and transmits it wirelessly is located on a plastic disc that is laser cut into a shape that can be carried by the wind, and the solar panel that powers the device faces up when it lands. Vikram Iyer, an assistant professor at the University of Washington, said the devices were small and light enough to carry 1000 drones.
A golden plastic disk and tiny electronic components make up the sensor
This is the electronics of the sensor and the plastic tray that carries it in the wind
Researchers at the University of Washington say they are working to make these types of electronic devices more sustainable and are studying how to change the shape of the device as it falls in order to give it greater fall point control.