Laser-recharged UAVs to be designed
U.S.-based LaserMotive announced of its plans to design an electric-powered UAV whose batteries could be recharged while in flight without landing.
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Batteries of such “perpetual” drone will be recharged via ground-based laser unit whose laser beam will communicate energy by catching the exhausted drone in air. A special type of solar batteries designed specifically for the new UAV will be able to transform the energy of a laser into electric energy and recharge the on-board batteries. However, such drones will not be bound to a ground unit, therefore they will only need to be in its range for recharging. Engineers at LaserMotive say that a whole network of ground laser units could be established, so that the drone will not have to return to the point it was launched from. The major requirement is that the drone is in the ground laser’s effective range. |
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The army could be most interested in the technology which allows recharging of UAVs in air. This is explained by the fact that electric-powered drones have smaller size and make much less noise than other types of UAVs. The drones with laser-recharging capability could prove useful during sustained ISR missions.
Source XConomy
