10 Hour Flight for Hydrogen Powered Fuel Cell UAS

Robota LLC

demonstrated a 10 hour and 4 minute flight of its unmanned aircraft platform named Robosoar.  The UAS is designed to be man-portable, operated by a single person and is capable of autonomous takeoff and landing. 

The flight marked a very successful initial integration test flight combining the clean power source of hydrogen and an ultra efficient UAS. This achievement comes only 4 months after Robota began designing the Robosoar’s custom airframe and adaptations to Robota’s proprietary Goose autopilot.  The plane flew at 17 lbs (7.7kg) and can carry over 4 pounds of payload.  It covered 380 miles (611 km) on its ten hour endeavour. “We are nowhere near the limits of this technology,” says Antonio Liska, President of Robota LLC.  “Soon, 10 hour endurance will be common place in portable UAS, and they’ll be carrying out tasks that we cant yet imagine.”

Robosoar was powered by EnergyOr’s EPOD EO-210 hydrogen powered fuel cell system. Robota doubled the EPOD’s previous flight time with the Robosoar airframe. Hydrogen fuel cells provide far more energy per volume/weight than batteries, are very easy to maintain, and operate quietly.  Safe hydrogen tanks make it possible for anyone to easily handle the fuel cell system. Furthermore, the monetary cost of hydrogen for the flight was only a few dollars and the only exhaust emissions were a few cups worth of water.

Founded in 2005, Robota LLC is a small, privately owned company based in Sealy, TX with expertise in every aspect of unmanned aircraft design and operation. Robota prides itself on quick turnarounds of very dependable and efficient unmanned systems, which is possible due to its proprietary autopilot technology.

EnergyOR is based in Montreal, Quebec and is a manufacturer of PEM fuel cells.  EnergyOR is the proud owner of a Robosoar airframe, which they renamed FAUCON H2.

Source: Press Release

One comment

  1. Because pure hydrogen does not occur naturally, it takes energy to manufacture it. There are different ways to manufacture it, such as, electrolysis and steam-methane reforming process. In electrolysis, electricity is run through water to separate the hydrogen and oxygen atoms. This method can be used by using wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, fossil fuels, biomass, and many other resources.;*”.

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