Bio-inspired gliders that use embodied humidity-responsive actuators, modeled after the seeds of the Javan cucumber. After deployment, the gliders function as sensorized flying probes that collect environmental data, then biodegrade safely in forest soil, leaving no electronic waste behind.
This project exemplifies an emerging paradigm of transient robotics, where structures and actuators are intentionally designed to disappear after their useful lifetime, reducing the environmental footprint of distributed sensing.