Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a tiny new sensor that can be carried around on a small drone or even the back of an insect – and then dropped on demand to track the environment for years at a time. Obviously there are a few main features that this kind of system needs. The sensor needs to be very lightweight, it needs to be securely attached to its transport until a "drop" command is issued, then it needs to be able to survive a fall from a high place, and finally it has to be able to run for a decent amount of time. The team addressed all of those points with the design. The whole sensor system weighs just 98 milligrams, which they describe as about one 10th the weight of a jellybean.