Three-dimensional electronic microfliers inspired by wind-dispersed seeds

Bong Hoon Kim, Kan Li, Jin-Tae Kim, Yoonseok Park, Hokyung Jang, Xueju Wang, Zhaoqian Xie, Sang Min Won, Hong-Joon Yoon, Geumbee Lee, Woo Jin Jang, Kun Hyuck Lee, Ted S. Chung, Yei Hwan Jung, Seung Yun Heo, Yechan Lee, Juyun Kim, Tengfei Cai, Yeonha Kim, Poom Prasopsukh, Yongjoon Yu, Xinge Yu, Raudel Avila, Haiwen Luan, Honglie Song, Feng Zhu, Ying Zhao, Lin Chen, Seung Ho Han, Jiwoong Kim, Soong Ju Oh, Heon Lee, Chi Hwan Lee, Yonggang Huang (), Leonardo P. Chamorro (), Yihui Zhang () and John A. Rogers ()
Additional contact information
Bong Hoon Kim: Soongsil University
Kan Li: University of Cambridge
Jin-Tae Kim: Northwestern University
Yoonseok Park: Northwestern University
Hokyung Jang: University of Wisconsin Madison
Xueju Wang: Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut
Zhaoqian Xie: Dalian University of Technology
Sang Min Won: Sungkyunkwan University
Hong-Joon Yoon: Northwestern University
Geumbee Lee: Northwestern University
Woo Jin Jang: University of Illinois
Kun Hyuck Lee: Northwestern University
Ted S. Chung: Northwestern University
Yei Hwan Jung: Hanyang University
Seung Yun Heo: Northwestern University
Yechan Lee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
Juyun Kim: University of Illinois
Tengfei Cai: University of Illinois
Yeonha Kim: University of Illinois
Poom Prasopsukh: University of Illinois
Yongjoon Yu: Northwestern University
Xinge Yu: City University of Hong Kong
Raudel Avila: Northwestern University
Haiwen Luan: Northwestern University
Honglie Song: Tsinghua University
Feng Zhu: Wuhan University of Technology
Ying Zhao: Tongji University
Lin Chen: Xi’an Jiaotong University
Seung Ho Han: Korea Electronics Technology Institute
Jiwoong Kim: Soongsil University
Soong Ju Oh: Korea University
Heon Lee: Korea University
Chi Hwan Lee: Purdue University
Yonggang Huang: Northwestern University
Leonardo P. Chamorro: University of Illinois
Yihui Zhang: Tsinghua University
John A. Rogers: Northwestern University

Nature, 2021, vol. 597, issue 7877, 503-510

Abstract: Abstract Large, distributed collections of miniaturized, wireless electronic devices1,2 may form the basis of future systems for environmental monitoring3, population surveillance4, disease management5 and other applications that demand coverage over expansive spatial scales. Aerial schemes to distribute the components for such networks are required, and—inspired by wind-dispersed seeds6—we examined passive structures designed for controlled, unpowered flight across natural environments or city settings. Techniques in mechanically guided assembly of three-dimensional (3D) mesostructures7–9 provide access to miniature, 3D fliers optimized for such purposes, in processes that align with the most sophisticated production techniques for electronic, optoelectronic, microfluidic and microelectromechanical technologies. Here we demonstrate a range of 3D macro-, meso- and microscale fliers produced in this manner, including those that incorporate active electronic and colorimetric payloads. Analytical, computational and experimental studies of the aerodynamics of high-performance structures of this type establish a set of fundamental considerations in bio-inspired design, with a focus on 3D fliers that exhibit controlled rotational kinematics and low terminal velocities. An approach that represents these complex 3D structures as discrete numbers of blades captures the essential physics in simple, analytical scaling forms, validated by computational and experimental results. Battery-free, wireless devices and colorimetric sensors for environmental measurements provide simple examples of a wide spectrum of applications of these unusual concepts.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03847-y

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