Wireless sensors can monitor changes in temperature, humidity, or other environmental conditions over large areas of land, such as farms or forests. These tools can provide unique information for a variety of applications, including digital agriculture and climate change monitoring. However, one problem is that the actual deployment of hundreds of sensors over a wide area is time consuming and expensive. One of the problems with this technology today is how hundreds or even thousands of such devices can be physically deployed over large areas. It is just a waste of time and expensive.

Scientists from the University of Washington faced this problem inspired by nature. These are some of the plants that use the wind to disperse their seeds. The results of their research were published on the pages of the prestigious science website Nature in mid-March.

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So they developed a small device with sensors that floated in the air for some time before finally hitting the ground. The sensor weighs only 30 milligrams, and in moderate winds it can travel up to 100 meters from the place where the drone was dropped.

The sensor can contain up to four sensors and, after landing on the ground, draws power from miniature solar panels placed on it. They supply power to all electronic devices on board, which can transmit data by radio at a distance of up to 60 meters.

The first problem that the scientists had to solve was that the device could float freely above the ground for as long as possible. The shape of the device turns out to be of key importance. Scientists tested several dozen structures to determine what to do to make the sensor hover as long as possible, and thus fly the greatest distance. .

So they looked at the seeds of a single plant that is second to none in this regard. It is a well-known herb called dandelion, specifically the seeds of this plant. Miniature bristles stand out from them, thanks to which they float in the air for a long time. So they equipped the sensors with similar elements in the form of a solid ring structure. To measure the distance the devices would travel in the wind, scientists dropped them from different heights by doing so manually (high-rise buildings) or using a drone .

To ensure lightness, electronic devices are powered not by a heavy battery, but by solar panels. It is important here that the sensors always land on the ground in such a way that the solar panels are placed vertically. Using the panels means that after sunset, the sensor does not turn on and cannot transmit data. But when the sun rises the next morning, the sensor is alive and can transmit data again. At the same time, the team designed the electronics to contain a special capacitor that could store some electricity overnight.