Chinese drone could stay in the air almost forever

Researchers at Northwestern University of Technology in China claim to have developed a method to use high-energy lasers to keep drones in the air indefinitely.

They have created a photoelectric conversion module that converts light energy into electrical energy, which can be charged remotely using a high-energy laser beam. In a recent experiment, the team successfully demonstrated the potential for unlimited lifetime of optics-driven drones by combining autonomous charging with smart signal transmission and processing technology.

However, tracking drones in the air was a problem that needed to be solved, and the solution was found by developing an intelligent, visual-based tracking algorithm that tracks drones in real time, in flight.

However, they did not want to give any more technical details than that, as there is a strong possibility that it will be used for military purposes. However, the research team did reveal that three field tests were carried out: an indoor flight, an outdoor day flight and an outdoor night flight. They say the drones passed all the tests.

Source: scmp.com