Researchers from the University of Tampere in Finland and the University of Pittsburgh in the US have developed a tiny robot that mimics the aerial dance of falling maple seeds. In the future, this robot can be used for real-time environmental monitoring or delivery of small samples even in inaccessible terrains such as deserts, mountains or rocks or open seas. This technology could be a game changer for areas such as search and rescue, endangered species studies, or infrastructure monitoring.
At the University of Tampere, Professor Hao Zheng and doctoral researcher Jian Feng Yang work at the interface between physics, soft mechanics and materials engineering in their Light Robots research group. They have taken inspiration from nature to design polymeric gliding structures that can be controlled by light.
Now, Zeng and Yang, along with University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering professor M. Ravi Shankar, have used light-driven smart materials to control the gliding mode of an artificial maple seed. In nature, maples spread to new growth sites with the help of flying feathers in their samara, or dried fruit. The wings help the seed rotate as it falls, allowing it to glide in a light breeze. The arrangement of these wings defines their glide path.
According to the researchers, the synthetic maple seed can be actively controlled using light, where its dispersion in the air can be actively manipulated to achieve a range of gliding trajectories. In the future, it could also be equipped with various microsensors for environmental monitoring or used to deliver, for example, small soil samples.
High-tech robot beats natural seed in adaptation.
The researchers were inspired by the variety of gliding seeds from Finnish trees, each exhibiting a unique and mesmerizing flight pattern. Their main question was whether the structure of these seeds could be recreated using synthetic materials to achieve similar aerial beauty controlled by light.
“Small light-controlled robots designed to be released into the atmosphere, using passive flight to disperse widely by interacting with the surrounding air flow. Heavy metal concentrations.” Yang explains.
Inspired by natural maple samara, the team created an azobenzene-based light-deformable liquid crystal elastomer that undergoes reversible photochemical deformation to fine-tune aerodynamic properties.
“Synthetic maple seeds outperform their natural counterparts in adjustable terminal speeds, rotation rates, and hovering positions, self-rotating long distances with the help of wind,” says Zeng. Increase.”
In early 2023, Zeng and Yang released their first Dandelion seed like mini-robot within the Light Responsive Material Assembly – FAIRY-based Flying Arrow Robot project. The project, supported by the Research Council of Finland, started in September 2021 and will continue until August 2026.
“Whether it's seeds or bacteria or insects, nature provides them with clever patterns for moving, feeding and reproducing. Often this comes through a simple, but remarkably functional, mechanical design,” Shankar said. Tells.
“Thanks to advances in photosensitive materials, we are able to command mechanical behavior at an almost molecular level. We now have the ability to build micro-robots, drones and probes that can not only reach inaccessible areas but also provide critical information. It can also be a game changer for the user, such as search and rescue, endangered or invasive species studies, or infrastructure monitoring.”