Drones can make utilitarian tools for learning more about the environment , but in some cases they can disturb the same ecosystem they ’re being used to study . Now , a unexampled type of drone is being made from biodegradable , eco - well-disposed materials .
The " biodrone " was design by ateam of studentsfrom Brown , Spelman , and Stanford Universities in collaboration withNASA ’s Ames Research Center . The group ’s loss leader , NASA biologist Lynn Rothschild , of late spoke withDiscovermagazine about the task . She says she got the idea from a previous drone crash that well-nigh yield fateful results : The 400 - pound enquiry equipment went missing off the Alaskan glide in 2013 , but was fortuitously chance on by fisherman with its fuel tank still entire . Future incidents may not end so uneventfully , which is why Rothschild help grow a radio-controlled aircraft that can break up with minuscule environmental shock .
To construct the paradigm , the squad work with the material scientific discipline companyEcovative . The biodrone ’s frame is composed of a fungous root material call mycelium , which was lay in a mold where it consumed leafage and grass cuttings until it had completely filled out the mold ’s shape . Themyceliumwas then dry out at 180 to 200 ° farad , leave behind a lightweight chassis . That chassis was coated with cellulose acetate , which was then itself coated with a hydrophobic protein found in paper wasp spit to make it waterproof . The propeller were molded from the same plastic found in biodegradable forks and knives . fit in toDiscover , while a 100 per centum biodegradable motor is still theoretic , one succeeding possibility is a bacterial fuel electric cell used to provide electricity and power the propeller motor . Another potential addition is a cameramade with extremist - thin Si that dissolves in water system , or electronics printed on sheet of cellulose acetatein dissoluble silver nanoparticle ink .
According toWIRED , these biodrones could also have applications on missions to Mars . By biogenerating a drone on Mars from a sampling of cells , NASA would be deliver both space and money on the trip there . Such a drone pipe ’s biogenerative properties could also open up the possibility for one - way of life inquiry missions , since there ’s no vexation about find toxic materials — rather of harming whatever environment it lands in , the monotone could provide a fungus - flavored treat to creatures nearby .
[ h / t : Discover ]
