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Tom’s Hardware
Tom’s Hardware
Technology
Mark Tyson

Korea's cardboard drones address UAV shortages and climate crisis — inspired by the Ukraine war, drone inventor looked for the most easily sourced and repairable materials

Cardboard constructed AirSense UAV drone .

A South Korean firm called WOW Future Tech made waves at the recent Boom-Up Festival 2025 – a sizable networking event for Korean startups and investors. The headlining new product was the AirSense UAV drone, constructed from eco-friendly packaging boards and paper fiber. The material choice makes these drones easy to fabricate using resources widely available around the globe, reports Digitimes, and this can cut drone material pricing tenfold (vs carbon fiber). Moreover, sustainability, environmental, and repairability benefits can be enjoyed by those deploying AirSense UAVs.

WOW Future Tech CEO, Munju Kim, was inspired to develop the AirSense UAV drone by seeing reports about the Ukraine war. To be clear, Kim wasn’t moved to design a better drone for waging war, but wanted to address the drone shortage precipitated by this terrible conflict, using readily available materials.

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