As the drones are electrically powered different from the fighter jet who can be refuelled in the air but America has made his way through to a success in recharging drone though laser beam which can keep them aloft indefinitely.

Tom Nugent likes to call his company’s current project a “wireless extension cord” a perfect  analogy for Laser Motive’s laser transmitter/receiver system, which recently beamed enough energy to a 17.5-pound drone to keep it airborne at least 48 hours considering the fact that the drone usually fly normally for 2 hours.

In June the defence giant held a private wind-tunnel test at LaserMotive’s Seattle-area home. Technology demonstration went well. The main idea behind the project  can be understand by Nugent’s introduction line about the project: “You’re plugging a system into the wall, taking that electricity and converting it to light and transmitting that light through open air to a receiver, which converts the light back into electricity”

The indoor flight test saw the Stalker UAS modified to incorporate a Power Link system developed by Kent, Washington, based company LaserMotive. The system sends a beam of laser light from a ground station, through the air to a receiver of photovoltaic cells on the UAS. The system can provide continuous power to the UAV while it stays within range of the ground station and can also charge batteries onboard the UAS to allow it to fly beyond the range of the power link.


In fact, the indoor flight test, which was held in a wind tunnel, finished with the Stalker’s battery having more energy stored than it did when the flight began. With the system providing the potential for practically unlimited flight time, the flight test was only concluded because the initial endurance goals set by the team had been met.


Nugent demonstrated that it can beam power to a receiver at least a kilometer away, which Nugent says is plenty of range to recharge a drone in flight. His company won a NASA Centennial Challenge Prize for beaming power that far in 2009. With larger optics and more expensive lasers, the system’s range could be extended to hundreds of kilometers in a straight line, but the Earth’s atmosphere would limit how far away a drone could be from its power source when flying at lower altitudes.


About sevencolourgossips


Posted on August 9, 2012, in News, Smart Tech, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.

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