We love drones. You know what we don’t like? Drone flight times. Today, your average consumer drone has an average flight time of between 10 and 20 minutes — with top-of-the-line drones coming out (let that blow) for nearly half an hour in the air.
But not all drones fall into that category. Whether thanks to new types of batteries or innovative charging methods, here are seven drones that put a strain on the system with long flight times.
Flying battery drone
Impossible US-1 first look
What is the easiest way to make a drone fly longer? Give it a great battery, of course. That’s what the folks at Impossible Aerospace are aiming for with their upcoming US-1 drone. With a huge lithium-ion power supply that, according to its creator, makes it a “flying battery”, the US-1 can stay in the air for up to two hours at a time.
The large battery means it’s significantly heavier, at 15.7 pounds, than some of its rivals. Its starting price of $7,500 isn’t cheap either — but that extra flight time will certainly make the extra money worth it to some.
A hybrid drone
WORLD RECORD FOR DRONE ENDURANCE! Multicopter HYBRiX: 4 hours and 40 minutes of flight – Quaternium
Considering your average drone can hover for about half an hour, the four hour and 40 minute record claimed by Spanish drone manufacturer Quaternium is pretty impressive. The secret of the Hybrix.20 drone? As its name suggests, it’s its hybrid fuel-electric engine, which results in an impressive improvement in flight time, thanks to an onboard combustion engine with a generator that keeps the battery charged during flight.
“The potential of hybrid technology for drones is huge,” Alicia Fuentes, CEO of Quaternium, told Digital Trends. “We at Quaternium believe that we will all be amazed by its evolution in the short term. The hybrid race has just begun.”
A diesel powered drone
Vanilla Aircraft VA001 5-day flight
Last year, Vanilla Aircraft’s 36-foot-wingspan, diesel-powered unmanned aerial vehicle broke records for the longest internal combustion unmanned flight in history — with a flight that lasted five days, one hour and 24 minutes.
The most amazing part of it? Even after making his record flight, when he finally touched down on solid ground, he had three days worth of fuel.
Solar powered drone
First launch of the Airbus Zephyr S – 11 July 2018
Just like spending a day at the beach or working outside in the summer, one of the positives of a drone spending a lot of time in the sky is that it gives it a great opportunity to soak up some air. That’s the idea that (literally) drove Airbus’ unmanned Zephyr S drone to break the record for the longest continuous flight in July 2018.
On its maiden voyage, the Zephyr S remained airborne for 25 days, 23 hours and 57 minutes after taking off from Arizona. The UAV uses solar energy to power motors that drive twin propellers. At night, the drone is supplied with energy that accumulates in its built-in batteries during the day. The Zephyr S has a wingspan of 82 feet and cruises at a super high altitude of 70,000 feet.
Flying all year round?
Airbus’ solar-powered Zephyr drone goes into production
Airbus is not the only drone manufacturer interested in solar-powered drones. Developed by top British companies BAE Systems and Prismatic, the PHASA-35 is an unmanned aerial vehicle currently under development that aims to fly for up to a year without landing.
Its lightweight design and 114-foot wingspan help it accomplish this epic quest — more than 30 feet longer than that of Airbus’ Zephyr S. That means more room for its highly efficient solar panels. Like Zephyr, PHASA-35 will cruise 70,000 feet above Earth, well above weather systems and most conventional (read: non-military) air traffic.
Stuck in the ground
Detachable drone concept demonstrated with DroneCatcher
Some people want drones to stay in flight longer for things like drone delivery or getting more footage while filming. The people behind this next quadcopter have another, more important purpose: saving lives. Designed to prevent drones from straying into aircraft airspace, this anti-drone drone is designed to shoot nets to shoot down other UAVs.
Since tracking other drones is a 24/7 job, the DroneCatcher stays in the air at all times using a power cable that is connected to the ground. When a problem needs to be solved, the power cable is automatically disconnected from the quadcopter so that it can fly freely. After the enemy drone is shot down, the DroneCatcher reconnects to the power cable so it can continue hovering.
Wireless laser charging
Wireless charging of a drone in flight – BBC Click
Like Dronecatcher, the US military believes that the best way to keep a drone in the air is not to give it an incredibly large built-in battery, but to charge it from the ground. However, the solution they’re exploring is a bit more ambitious than using a solid charging cable.
Instead, the military plans to use laser power to keep drones airborne indefinitely using a sophisticated wireless charging technique. According to the proposal, the laser light will be directed at the drone’s photovoltaic cell, where it will be converted from heat to electricity. This could reportedly be accomplished from a distance of over 1,600 feet.
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Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn