The drone, you see, is designed to leave as little trace as possible if it crash lands. The main airframe of the craft is made from a root-like fungal material called mycelium which is then coated in plant-based cellulose to make it sturdy. Much of its circuitry is printed using silver nanoparticle ink, which means it can break down.
The idea, then, is that the drones are sturdy enough to fly but biodegradable enough to break down if they crash land in enemy territory. “No one would know if you’d spilled some sugar water or if there’d been an aeroplane there,” said Lynn Rothschild of NASA’s Ames Research Center in California, who made the drone, speaking to New Scientist.
