expo osaka 2025 - fiction
The Origami Drone Disaster at Expo 2025 Osaka
At the Sustainability Pavilion of Expo 2025 Osaka, a group of engineers proudly unveiled their eco-friendly invention: Origami Drones — flying paper creations designed to deliver pamphlets and glide gracefully through the air, all biodegradable, of course.
They launched them during a live demonstration, expecting a poetic ballet of technology and tradition.
Instead, Osaka’s unpredictable wind had other plans.
Within seconds, dozens of origami drones veered off course. One flew straight into a food stall, another buzzed a visiting ambassador’s hair, and one persistently hovered over a confused elderly man, who swatted at it like it was a giant insect.
A group of children thought it was part of the entertainment and began chasing the drones like a futuristic treasure hunt.
The final straw?
One particularly ambitious drone zigzagged into the air like it had a mind of its own, crash-landed on a restroom sign, unfolded midair with flair, and revealed a giant message that read: “You are here. Probably regretting it.”
The crowd erupted in laughter.
The engineers?
They quietly backed away and pretended to be part of the audience.
Within hours, the drones became an expo sensation. Kids wanted to pilot them, influencers begged for "limited-edition crash landings," and vendors started selling toilet-sign replicas that read: "As seen in the drone disaster."
The project was never fully scrapped—just rebranded as interactive chaos.