Researchers create chip the size of a grain of sand that can float through the air

Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a microchip that is about the size of a grain of sand and can float through the air. The chips could, for example, help with research into the spread of disease or pollution.

The researchers call the chips microfliers and say they were inspired by the way plant seeds spread through the air. The microfliers consist of a ‘hub’ containing most of the electronics, from which three ‘wings’ protrude. These blades are higher than the center and ensure that when the chip falls, it starts to rotate. This rotating movement causes the chip to fall more slowly and stably, so that the microfliers float through the air for longer and can be spread further.

The microfliers are “the smallest man-made flying objects ever,” according to the university. They include sensors, energy sources that can get their energy from the environment and antennas for wireless communication, as well as memory to store data. The chips could communicate wirelessly with smartphones, tablets or computers. Most of the electronics are in the center to ensure that the center of gravity is low. The researchers thus prevent the microfliers from becoming unstable and falling quickly to the ground.

Project leader John Rogers thinks that the microfliers could be dropped on a large scale from a building or from an airplane, in order to collect a lot of data over a large area. Rogers does expect that it will be difficult to collect the chips on a large scale. Therefore, the microfliers could be made of degradable polymers, compostable conductors and soluble chips so that the objects can break down naturally when they come into contact with water. Rogers has used those materials for previous projects and is now trying to make microfliers based on these materials.