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Flying Robots Made From Cellophane?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the wrap-around-heads-as-weapons dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "Researchers have discovered that ordinary cellulose is a piezoelectric and smart material that can flap when exposed to an electric field. ScienceNOW reports that electricity can give life to cellophane. When you put a very thin layer of gold on each side of cellophane, and that you apply electric current to the gold layers, one positive, one negative, the cellophane curved toward the positive side. If you switch the voltage fast enough, the cellophane starts to act as a wing. So it should be possible to use it to build lightweight flying robots carrying cameras, microphones or sensors for surveillance missions. Read more for additional references and pictures about this electroactive paper (EAPap)."

19 of 148 comments (clear)

  1. Nothing for you to see here. Please move along. by The+MAZZTer · · Score: 2, Funny

    Bah, I'm too late, it flew away already! :(

  2. I for one welcome... by inteller · · Score: 3, Funny

    ....our new paper thin flying overlords.

    1. Re:I for one welcome... by cp.tar · · Score: 3, Funny

      When I first read the title, I thought it said "Flying Robots Made From Cellphone".

      At least they would still be paper-thin...

      --
      Ignore this signature. By order.
    2. Re:I for one welcome... by Warg!+The+Orcs!! · · Score: 3, Funny

      ...our new paper-thin flying overlords that can keep food fresh in the refrigerator for up to three days

      --
      Travelling forward in time at a rate of 1 second per second.
  3. Artifact Creature by dfedfe · · Score: 5, Funny

    And given that they have a casting cost of 0, we'll have a ton of them.

  4. Surveillance missions uh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny
    So it should be possible to use it to build lightweight flying robots carrying cameras, microphones or sensors for surveillance missions.


    Read: Porn
  5. Need to get my eyes checked. by raider_red · · Score: 5, Funny

    The first time I read that, I read it as "Flying Robots Made From Cell Phones". That would be seriously scary, getting attacked by a bunch of flying cell phones could ruin your whole day.

    --
    It's good to use your head, but not as a battering ram.
    1. Re:Need to get my eyes checked. by SeaFox · · Score: 3, Funny

      That would be seriously scary, getting attacked by a bunch of flying cell phones could ruin your whole day.

      Especially if they were all ringing with incoming calls from telemarketers.

  6. Cool! by Groo+Wanderer · · Score: 3, Funny

    Wow, featherweight sub-gram flying things! I wonder if they can lift the the 23 kilo car battery needed to power it? Still, way cool.

    I am going to wait for the one that can carry the HD camera though, is it worth investing in SD parts at this point in time?

                      -Charlie

    1. Re:Cool! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny
      I wonder if they can lift the the 23 kilo car battery needed to power it?

      Supposing two of them carry it together?

    2. Re:Cool! by meta · · Score: 3, Funny

      Supposing two of them carry it together?
      What, held under the dorsal guiding feathers?

      --
      Sometimes they fool you by walking upright.
  7. SWAT... by dinther · · Score: 2, Funny

    Gotcha

  8. Re:Wonderful by Kagura · · Score: 2, Funny

    No kidding. If they're going to spy on me, at least let me pay them less to do it.

  9. Re:Not Piezoelectric by WilliamSChips · · Score: 2, Funny
    I am becoming gerund, destroyer of verbs.
    No, you are becoming participle, creator of adjectives.
    --
    Please, for the good of Humanity, vote Obama.
  10. Gold? by Lally+Singh · · Score: 2, Funny

    Why's it gotta be something rare and expensive, like gold? Why not old butter? I've got lots of old butter.

    --
    Care about electronic freedom? Consider donating to the EFF!
  11. This will no-doubt... by NoseBag · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...cause quite a flap.

    --
    Cloned foods give the statement "We had that last week!" a whole new meaning.
  12. Mr. Wizard of the 21st Century by Speare · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hey, kids, let's do a little experiment together, shall we? Don't forget your shop glasses. Let's get started.

    You're going to need a few household items.

    • some ordinary cellophane tape
    • an ordinary low-voltage lantern cell or battery
    • some ordinary low-gauge solid Bell wire
    • a small sample of 24 carat gold
    • a molecular sump to achieve 10^-10 torr
    • a helix-shaped 5 kilowatt tungsten heating filament
    • a hypobarometric chamber reinforced against 10^-10 torr

    Have your mom or dad, or favorite grad student uncle, to assist you in using the equipment to achieve an even mono-molecular deposition of gold onto your cellophane tape...

    --
    [ .sig file not found ]
  13. Laden flight velocity? by Loconut1389 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Are these things african or european?

  14. Re:Actually... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    I am an aerospace engineer. I have a BS in Aerospace Engineering and 16 years experience conducting flight test on a dozen aircraft ranging from Cessna- to 707-sized. I have also published papers on the process.

    So I guess you think that makes you some kind of authority on the subject?