The main goal here is to monitor the environment, therefore the system must meet several key conditions - it must be extremely light so as not to be a burden for carriers, mounted in a way that allows remote disconnection, resistant to falls from a great height, and also works on the battery by
long enough.
The team responsible for the new solution ensures that they have all taken into account, so the sensor weighs literally 98 milligrams, so it will not be a problem for the moth wearing it.
In addition, it is secured with a magnetic pin and a thin wire - if necessary, the operator gives a command via the application, a current begins to flow in front of the wire, generating a magnetic field that detaches the sensor.
In order to survive a fall from a great height, the sensor has been built with its battery in one corner.
And since it is the heaviest component, it starts to spin and, consequently, to slow down the fall to a maximum of 17.7 km / h, thanks to which the device can easily survive a fall from a height of 22 meters.
And only then does its work begin - the sensor monitors the environment, collecting data, for example, on temperature or humidity, and then sends data to the control panel (up to a kilometer away), and so on for up to 2.5 years.
The system has already been tested using miniature drones only 28 mm wide and 5 moths, and each of these solutions has its own advantages.
Drones are certainly easier to control, thanks to which we have more control over the location of sensors, but their range is limited by the capacity of the batteries - moths, in turn, can fly for hours, and fly into places inaccessible to drones.
According to the scientists, ultimately both methods can be used, depending on the current needs, and the primary application of the system is to monitor hard-to-reach places, such as forests or farmlands, for a longer period of time.
It is true that not everything is as beautiful as it looks, because some questions arise by themselves - will the sensors stay in place, will they move in the wind, how much will they affect the surrounding environment, are they certainly not a threat to
animals?
Scientists say they are aware of the fact that they still have a lot of work to do, but the idea is worth continuing - especially in the face of so rapidly advancing climate and environmental changes.