What happens when you add wings to a computer chip that’s smaller than the tip of a pencil? You get the world’s smallest flying robot! Engineers at Northwestern University in Illinois modeled these “microfliers” after maple seeds, which have wings that allow them to be carried by the wind and spiral gently to the ground.

The engineers hope to someday release thousands of microfliers into the air. As they drift downward, they’d gather data about things like air pollution or airborne viruses. The devices are made of materials that dissolve into non-toxic substances, says engineer John Rogers, who worked on the project. So they wouldn’t harm the environment.