Three-Dimensional Electronic Flying Microchip

Engineers have added a new capability to electronic microchips: flight. About the size of a grain of sand, the new flying microchip (microflier) does not have a motor or engine. Instead, it catches flight on the wind — much like a maple tree’s propeller seed — and spins like a helicopter through the air toward the ground. The microfliers also can be packed with ultra-miniaturized technology including sensors, power sources, antennas for wireless communication, and embedded memory to store data.