Autonomy is one of the great limitations of drones. These researchers propose charging them in mid-flight

We live in a world where drones fulfill more and more functions. These unmanned vehicles They are used to capture images from the air, deliver packages, monitor certain areas and even carry out attacks in war conflicts. All this, with versatility and costs that are difficult to overcome by traditional aircraft.

However, drones also have things to improve, such as autonomy. Industry efforts in this regard include the development of higher capacity batteries, as well as more efficient flight systems based on algorithms. But a group of researchers proposes something radically different: charge them wirelessly.

Wirelessly charge your drone

We are not talking about placing the drone on a charging base as we do with our smartphones, but about wireless charging in mid-flight. We know, it is a quite ambitious idea whose origins come from afar, but which curiously has received the support (and financing) of the famous American agency DARPA.

The initiative we talk about in this article comes from the University of Texas. A team led by electrical computer engineering professor Ifana Mahbub has just received a $250,000 grant from DARPA to further develop their project, having previously received $500,000.

Dr. Ifana Mahbub with her team of researchers

What is the proposal then? Researchers want to transfer electromagnetic waves over long distances, something they call wireless energy transfer. far field. As they explain, this would allow unmanned aerial vehicles to recharge without having to land, but they still have to overcome several challenges.

The team is perfecting the development of antennas and transmissions to prevent electromagnetic waves from being scattered along the way. Additionally, they are working on telemetry technology to track the drone’s movements in real time and channel the energy in the right direction so that it reaches its destination.

Mahbub says one of the advantages of this solution is that drones could circumvent the need for interrupt a mission to recharge your batteries. The energy, on the other hand, would arrive wirelessly from a station that is not necessarily nearby. Over time we will know if this system finally becomes a reality.

Images | Ricardo Gomez Angel | University of Texas

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