Overview

• Researchers from Polytechnique Montréal and Institut Polytechnique de Paris report the design in Nature on October 1.
• The flexible disc features circumferential kirigami slits and mounts the payload at its center, reconfiguring in airflow into an inverted, porous bell that steadies its descent.
• Validation spans simulations, wind-tunnel experiments and an outdoor drone trial that dropped a water bottle from 60 meters directly above its target.
• Prototypes made from plastic, paper or cardboard require minimal manual assembly, with mass production feasible using industrial laser cutters or dies.
• The team highlights potential for accurate drone delivery and humanitarian airdrops, notes current designs are impractical for human use, and is testing materials and patterns that could further tune terminal velocity or induce rotation.