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Optical maneuvering of dandelion-inspired fliers with vortex-enabled stability
Jianfeng Yang1, Soumarup Bhattacharyya2, Aditya Potnis2
1Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 541, FI-33101 Tampere, Finland.
Science Advances
|July 29, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed a dandelion-inspired drone, the dandidrone, using light-activated materials for controlled flight. This ultralight microflier achieves stable aerial maneuverability without traditional actuators, opening new possibilities for airborne systems.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Robotics
- Aerodynamics
Background:
- Untethered, centimeter-scale airborne structures face challenges in maneuverability due to energy and miniaturization limits of active systems.
- Passive systems lack controlled flight capabilities, relying solely on wind for transport and distribution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an ultralight, passively flying micro-structure with optically controlled maneuverability.
- To investigate the potential of light-responsive materials for achieving controlled flight in micro-airborne systems.
Main Methods:
- Designed a hexagonal polymeric assembly (dandidrone) with six radially arranged filamentous structures.
- Utilized soft actuators made of liquid crystalline elastomer thin films for photomechanical deformation and morphology control.
- Employed particle image velocimetry and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for flight analysis.
Main Results:
- The dandidrone exhibits similar terminal velocity to dandelion seeds but with 45% better positional stability and significantly reduced rotational rates.
- A stable asymmetric separated vortex ring was identified as key to flight stability and mid-air steerability.
- Demonstrated precise altitude control, body flipping, pattern formation, swarm behavior, and controlled 3D trajectories.
Conclusions:
- Responsive materials with light-induced asymmetry can enable maneuverability in air for microfliers.
- The dandidrone design offers a novel approach to agile, untethered, and controlled micro-aerial systems.
- This research paves the way for new applications in micro-robotics and environmental monitoring.
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