This Japanese paper drone weighs just 1oz and flies like an origami bird

A Japanese company has a unique take on drones: At a recent trade show in Tokyo, LAPIS Semiconductor demoed the Orizuru, a remote control origami crane that’s made mostly of paper and weighs only one ounce (31g, to be precise).

The body consists of a 3D-printed nylon filament skeleton and layers of paper. It took three months to design and build, and incorporates LAPIS’ Lazurite Fly microcomputer that is claimed to be 90 percent more energy efficient than rivals like Arduino and is roughly the size of an SD card.

The Orizuru’s design itself will be released to the public so that aircraft and origami enthusiasts can recreate it themselves.

➤ Japanese electronics maker creates Origami-style drone [CNet]