Image credit – Astro Awani
A lot of our gadgets are made using plastic. Plastic is not a very environmentally-friendly material, which is why there is a call to stop using disposable plastics like plastic bags you get at supermarkets, and also plastic straws. However, researchers over at Universiti Putra Malaysian (UPM) are taking things one step further by creating a drone made from pineapple leaves.
The entire drone, of course, won’t be made from pineapple leaves, but rather its main body/frame. The frame is made using natural fibers and is also electrical resistant, which means that it will prevent any instances of the drone being short circuited while in operation.
According to Prof Dr Mohamed Thariq bin Hameed Sultan, one of the advantages of using natural materials is that they have a higher strength ratio based on weight when compared to using synthetic materials like plastic. Natural materials will also be cheaper and are more readily available, and are also biodegradable which means that they can be easily disposed of when no longer in use or when it is spoiled.
The leaves are harvested from after cultivation of the pineapples, where instead of being burnt, which is usually the standard procedure, they can be reused to help make these drones. As to whether or not it will be more durable compared to plastic drones is unclear, but it is an interesting idea nonetheless.
Filed in . Read more about Drones. Source: lowyat.net