Mushroom Drone Will Decompose If It Crashes

Mushroom Drone Will Decompose If It Crashes
Nov-15-14
A design team in New York has grown a mushroom drone that will decompose harmlessly if it crash-lands, protecting both the environment and secret spy missions.

Drones are very useful for getting into hard-to-get places, but that also means they are difficult to retrieve if they crash. Broken drone bits not only add more stress to the environment, they could also alert people to the fact they are being spied on.

The new bio-drone, cultivated into shape by Evocative Design, is formed of mycelium, a very sturdy fungus. It was then coated in a protective covering of bacteria-grown "leather" cellulose sheets, which in turn are coated with proteins that have been cloned from the saliva of wasps. Silver nanoparticle ink was used to print the circuits.

Although there are still some components that can't be made from bio-materials yet—such as the propellers and the motor—the team is still creating new solutions. Their next plan is to grow biodegradable sensors in the lab using E.coli bacteria.

More Info about this Invention:

[GIZMODO.COM]
[POPSCI.COM]
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