Airdropping sensors from moths
Researchers use flying insects to drop sensors from air, land them safely
on the ground

Date:
October 8, 2020
Source:
University of Washington
Summary:
Researchers have created a sensor system that can ride aboard a
small drone or an insect, such as a moth, until it gets to its
destination.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== There are many places in this world that are hard for researchers to
study, mainly because it's too dangerous for people to get there.


==========================================================================
Now University of Washington researchers have created one potential
solution: A 98 milligram sensor system -- about one tenth the weight
of a jellybean, or less than one hundredth of an ounce -- that can
ride aboard a small drone or an insect, such as a moth, until it gets
to its destination. Then, when a researcher sends a Bluetooth command,
the sensor is released from its perch and can fall up to 72 feet -- from
about the sixth floor of a building -- and land without breaking. Once on
the ground, the sensor can collect data, such as temperature or humidity,
for almost three years.

The team presented this research Sept. 24 at MobiCom 2020.

"We have seen examples of how the military drops food and essential
supplies from helicopters in disaster zones. We were inspired by this and
asked the question: Can we use a similar method to map out conditions in regions that are too small or too dangerous for a person to go to?" said
senior author Shyam Gollakota, a UW associate professor in the Paul
G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. "This is the first
time anyone has shown that sensors can be released from tiny drones or
insects such as moths, which can traverse through narrow spaces better
than any drone and sustain much longer flights." While industrial-sized
drones use grippers to carry their payloads, the sensor is held on the
drone or insect using a magnetic pin surrounded by a thin coil of wire. To release the sensor, a researcher on the ground sends a wireless command
that creates a current through the coil to generate a magnetic field.

The magnetic field makes the magnetic pin pop out of place and sends
the sensor on its way.

The sensor was designed with its battery, the heaviest part, in one
corner. As the sensor falls, it begins rotating around the corner with the battery, generating additional drag force and slowing its descent. That, combined with the sensor's low weight, keeps its maximum fall speed at
around 11 miles per hour, allowing the sensor to hit the ground safely.

The researchers envision using this system to create a sensor network
within a study area. For example, researchers could use drones or insects
to scatter sensors across a forest or farm that they want to monitor.

Once a mechanism is developed to recover sensors after their batteries
have died, the team expects their system could be used in a wide
variety of locations, including environmentally sensitive areas. The researchers plan to replace the battery with a solar cell and automate
sensor deployment in industrial settings.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Washington. Original
written by Sarah McQuate. Note: Content may be edited for style and
length.


==========================================================================


Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201008104257.htm

--- up 6 weeks, 3 days, 6 hours, 50 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1337:3/111)