Three-Dimensional Electronic Microfliers Inspired by Wind-Dispersed Seeds

Miniaturized, wireless, battery-free electronic devices may provide the basis of future systems for environmental monitoring, population surveillance, disease management and other applications that require coverage over large spatial scales. This work shows that wind-dispersed seeds can serve as the bio-inspiration for unusual aerial schemes to distribute components in natural environments or city settings via controlled, passive flight. State-of-the-art fabrication/production techniques for electronic, optoelectronic, microfluidic and microelectromechanical technologies that align with mechanically guided assembly of three-dimensional (3D) mesostructures provide access to miniature, 3D fliers optimized for such purposes. We demonstrate a range of 3D macro-, meso- and microscale fliers produced in this manner with sample functionalities that incorporate active electronic and colorimetric payloads. Experimental studies of the aerodynamics of high-performance structures of this type establish a set of fundamental considerations in bio-inspired design, focusing on 3D fliers that exhibit controlled rotational kinematics and low terminal velocities.