Guided Gliders

Drones have revolutionized how scientiots conduct environmental and biological studies, sending back pictures and other information from areas whose climate, terrain, or indigenous wildlife make in-person treks hazardous. Now, researchers at the University of Washington and Universite Grenoble Alpes have improved an alternative tool for surveying large, remote areas: swarms of miniature wireless robots called microfliers. These tiny paper gliders, designed to change shape in midair as they descend from their drop-off point, previously depended on batteries to power their onboard actuators. But the American and French collaborators have demonstrated a batteryless glider whose actuator runs on energy collected by a solar panel on its top surface. Because the changes in shape allow a measure of control over a microflier's landing spot, researchers can count on the supercheap sensor nodes being dispersed evenly across the area to be surveilled.