Large, distributed collections of miniaturized, wireless electronic devices^1,2 may form the basis of future systems for environmental monitoring³, population surveillance⁴, disease management⁵ and other applications that demand coverage over expansive spatial scales. Aerial schemes to distribute the components for such networks are required, and—inspired by wind-dispersed seeds⁶—we examined passive structures designed for controlled, unpowered flight across natural environments or city settings. Techniques in mechanically guided assembly of three-dimensional (3D) mesostructures^7,8,9 provide access to miniature, 3D fliers optimized for such purposes, in processes that align with the most sophisticated production techniques for electronic, optoelectronic, microfluidic and microelectromechanical technologies. Here we demonstrate a range of 3D macro-, meso- and microscale fliers produced in this manner, including those that incorporate active electronic and colorimetric payloads. Analytical, computational and experimental studies of the aerodynamics of high-performance structures of this type establish a set of fundamental considerations in bio-inspired design, with a focus on 3D fliers that exhibit controlled rotational kinematics and low terminal velocities. An approach that represents these complex 3D structures as discrete numbers of blades captures the essential physics in simple, analytical scaling forms, validated by computational and experimental results. Battery-free, wireless devices and colorimetric sensors for environmental measurements provide simple examples of a wide spectrum of applications of these unusual concepts.

^{小型化无线电子设备1,2}的大型分布式集合可以构成未来系统的基础，用于环境监测³、人口监测⁴、疾病管理⁵和其他需要在广阔空间范围内进行覆盖的应用。需要为此类网络分配组件的空中方案，并且受风散种子⁶的启发，我们研究了为在自然环境或城市环境中受控、无动力飞行而设计的被动结构。三维 (3D) 介观结构的机械引导组装技术^7,8,9在与电子、光电、微流体和微机电技术最复杂的生产技术相一致的过程中，提供针对此类目的优化的微型 3D 传单的访问权限。在这里，我们展示了以这种方式生产的一系列 3D 宏观、中观和微型飞行器，包括那些包含有源电子和比色有效载荷的飞行器。对此类高性能结构的空气动力学的分析、计算和实验研究在仿生设计中确立了一系列基本考虑因素，重点关注具有受控旋转运动学和低终端速度的 3D 飞行器。将这些复杂的 3D 结构表示为离散数量的叶片的方法以简单的分析缩放形式捕获基本物理，通过计算和实验结果验证。用于环境测量的无电池无线设备和色度传感器提供了这些不寻常概念的广泛应用的简单示例。