Autonomous self-burying seed carriers for aerial seeding

Abstract

Aerial seeding can quickly cover large and physically inaccessible areas 1 to improve soil quality and scavenge residual nitrogen in agriculture 2 , for postfire reforestation 3-6 and wildland restoration 7,8 . However, it suffers from low germination rates due to the direct exposure of unburied seeds to harsh sunlight, wind, granivorous birds, and undesirable air humidity and temperature 1,9,10 . Inspired by Erodium seeds 11-14 , we design and fabricate self-drilling seed carriers, turning wood veneer into highly stiff (7.2 GPa when dry, and 1.2 GPa when wet) and hygromorphic bending or coiling actuators with an extremely large bending curvature (1854 m -1 ), 45 times larger than the literature values [15][16][17][18] . Our three-tailed carrier has an 80% drilling success rate on flat land after two triggering cycles due to the beneficial resting angle (25° -30°) of its tail anchoring, whereas the natural Erodium seed's success rate is 0%. Our carriers can carry payloads of different sizes and contents including biofertilizers and plant seeds as large as those of whitebark pine, which are 11 mm in length. We compare experiments with numerical simulation to elucidate the curvature transformation and actuation mechanisms to guide the design and optimization of the seed carriers. Our system will significantly improve the effectiveness of aerial seeding to relieve agricultural and environmental stresses, and has potential applications in energy harvesting, soft robotics and sustainable buildings.

Intestinal Villi-Inspired Mathematically Base-Layer Engineered Microneedles (IMBEMs) for Effective Molecular Exchange during Biomarker Enrichment and Drug Deposition in Diversified Mucosa

“…Examples include using FEA to visualize the fluid processes involved in drug delivery through snake fang-inspired microneedle patches, as well as employing FEA to predict the stress and strain distribution in bone implant scaffolds under pressure, facilitating practical parameter optimizations. , Furthermore, FEA enables a simplified and straightforward explanation of the differences in frictional forces in composite liquid crystal elastomer devices under various modes of motion . In the realm of composite bionic devices, FEA can guide practical optimization experiments by simulating pressure on wood materials treated with different treatments . In this study, we conduct mathematical calculations and finite element simulation analyses using MATLAB and Ansys software to systematically evaluate the differences in the transfer efficiency of IMBEMs with varying base-layer equation coefficients.…”

“…36 In the realm of composite bionic devices, FEA can guide practical optimization experiments by simulating pressure on wood materials treated with different treatments. 37 In this study, we conduct mathematical calculations and finite element simulation analyses using MATLAB and Ansys software to systematically evaluate the differences in the transfer efficiency of IMBEMs with varying base-layer equation coefficients. This approach allows for a comprehensive assessment of the transfer efficiency variations and contributes to a deeper understanding of the mucosa-device interactions.…”

Intelligent sensing based on active micro/nanomotors

“…An intriguing instance involves the fabrication of self-drilling seed carriers, wherein wood veneer is transformed into rigid and biodegradable hygromorphic actuators exhibiting an exceptionally large bending curvature. 68 The autonomous self-burying carrier has the capability to accommodate seeds of various sizes as well as biofertilizers, offering potential benefits in enhancing the efficiency of aerial seeding and alleviating agricultural and environmental pressures.…”

Sustainable Morphing Matter: Design and Engineering Practices

“…Figure 1 shows examples of both engineered and natural morphing matter used as-is or in fabricated devices, actuators, and robots, along with their respective approaches to integrate sustainable design considerations. Examples of engineered morphing matter include biodegradable hygromorphic matter used to design self-burying devices that use renewable energy to execute tasks, [16] edible morphing matter manufactured with energy-saving stamping approaches and transported with spacesaving flat-pack methods, [17] hydraulic morphing matter to make grippers designed with end-of-life considerations, [18] self-healing morphing matter-enabled robots that effectively extend their life under harsh conditions, [19][20][21] and morphing textiles relying on mechanical computation that is electronic-free and batteryfree. [22][23][24] Beyond engineered systems with morphing matter, there are numerous natural morphing matter-embedded systems that embrace sustainable design principles.…”