Pineapples are delicious fruit and now they have a new use. As drones (无人机)! A research team in Malaysia has found a way to turn pineapple waste into drone parts.
Farmers in Hulu Langat region, Malaysia, grow large areas of pineapples. The pineapples taste pretty good, but their leaves are useless. The large number of pineapple leaves was a big problem for local farmers. Often they were homes for dangerous animals like lizards or snakes. Since the farmers didn't have a good way of solving the problem, they usually burned (烧) them. That was bad for the environment.
___________A research team from the University of Putra Malaysia has discovered a way to make pineapple leaves "fly". They turn them into fibers(纤维制品) that can be used to produce drone parts. The pineapple fibers are cheaper, lighter and stronger than traditional ones. They are green as well. When a drone is out of use, its pineapple-leaf-based parts can be buried(埋) without polluting the environment.
This invention also gives back to the local economy(经济). Local farmers can sell their pineapple leaves to make more money instead of burning them for nothing.
The pineapple drones can reach a height of 1, 000 m and fly for 20 minutes. The team's end goal is to develop larger drones that can be used for agricultural (农业的) activities. Locals are hoping that this new development will encourage more clever inventions for the use of pineapple waste.