To craft the smallest flying structure humans have ever produced, researchers turned to nature. Engineers from Northwestern University designed a flying microchip about the size of a grain of sand to ...

Engineers at Northwestern University have given microchips a new ability – the power of flight. Inspired by wind-dispersed seeds, these “microfliers” are shaped like tiny propellers to catch the wind, ...

A 3D microflier sits next to a common ant to show scale. (CN) — Engineers on Wednesday unveiled perhaps one of the next great breakthroughs in human innovation — the smallest ever flying microchip, no ...

A team of engineers boasts of beating nature by creating the smallest human-made flying structure, a winged microchip that behaves just like the seeds from trees and plants but has better flying ...

Tiny enough to look like fruit flies to most observers, winged microchips developed by engineers at Northwestern University could soon be used for population surveillance and the tracking of airborne ...

Northwestern Engineering researchers have added a new capability to electronic microchips: flight. About the size of a grain of sand, the new flying microchip (or “microflier”) does not have a motor ...

Humanity has developed many mind-blowing inventions throughout the course of history, but many of those owe their inspiration to Mother Nature. Some are even literally copying nature, learning from ...

Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto. It's ...

Inspired by the fluttering seeds, researchers designed a tiny, winged microchip that is powerful enough to monitor environmental contamination, biohazards, and airborne disease. Here it is shown next ...

Northwestern University engineers are taking a page from "Ant-Man," creating the smallest-ever human-made flying structure in the form of a winged microchip. The "microflier," announced Wednesday by ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. In some necks of the woods, where maple trees are abundant, changing ...

Sept. 22 (UPI) --Engineers at Northwestern University have shrunk a microchip to roughly the size of a grain of sand and given it the power of flight. The new "microflier" -- detailed Wednesday in the ...