Meeting Abstract
Autorotating winged seeds known as samaras flutter gracefully to the ground from towering maple and ash trees. The extended fall of the seeds provides an inspiration for artificial devices that gently deliver sensors or other packages, dropped from aircraft or drones. We have designed and tested 3D-printed replicas as well as scaled-up versions of maple seeds which can carry a payload safely to the ground when dropped from a significant height. This design could be used to disperse sensors or provide a parachute-less airdrop of needed supplies in an emergency situation.
