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Jan 26, 2024

Flying microchips the size of sand are tracking air data. Watch them fly

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, computing

This microchip is the size of a grain of sand, and its job is to track data.


Inspired by nature, the latest microchip can dissolve and fly.

About the size of a grain of sand, the chips might be the smallest artificial flying structures yet built — gadgets that could one-day monitor air pollution and the spread of airborne diseases.

Why it matters: Size matters and sometimes smaller is better. With the microfliers, their small size is advantageous as it allows them to float like pollen or seeds, collecting environmental data on their tiny microchips along the way. Wireless transmitters can send the data to scientists before the chips land.

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