Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) staff got to play with some very special paper planes at the latest Hands-On Science event.
Scientists from the University’s Project Mavis (Massive Atmospheric Volume Instrumentation System) visited BIS HQ in London to demonstrate the ingenious technology behind their fleet of atmospheric sampling paper drones. These small paper aircraft can be dropped in swarms from weather balloons. As they descend, electronic circuitry, which is printed directly onto the paper in conductive silver ink, takes measurements of the upper atmosphere and transmits it via radio.
The data gathered by Project Mavis is essential for building better models of weather and climate. The planes are light, cheap and biodegradable, ideal qualities for research in remote areas, where it wouldn’t be possible to retrieve them post-flight. The University team have developed a production line composed entirely of consumer-grade products such as an inkjet printer, electronic paper cutter and ordinary photo paper.
BIS Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Tim Dafforn said:
“People in BIS work really hard to get all the policies and funding in place for us to do science. But some of them are not aware at first hand of the wonderful things scientists do across the UK. That’s where the Hands-On Science events come in.”
“We thought it would be really good to bring in scientists doing really cool stuff and show BIS people what it is they do, how it benefits the wider world and creates new business opportunities in the UK and for export, so they can feel more motivated when they’re working, because they know if they implement this particular policy, it might lead to some real technology getting out there and helping people.”