A drone designed to fly with one propeller has been developed at the Institute for Dynamics Systems and Control at ETH Zurich. Continue reading
Category Archives: Aircraft Propulsion & Energy
Tech Inspired By Nikola Tesla Charges Drones In Mid-Air
Everything that flies must eventually land. Unless, say, it’s an all-electric drone that can recharge while in flight. Researchers at Imperial College London have demonstrated a way to transfer electricity wireless to a flying drone. Even better: they did so building on a concept pioneered by Nikola Tesla. Continue reading
ATI Project Update: New Hybrid Power for UAVs
Progress is being made with AIE’s collaborative Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Project as a new breakthrough is made for next generation unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hybrid power systems. Continue reading
Demo Shows Drone Flying Under Wireless Power
London-based electrical engineering researcher Dr. Samer Aldhaher recently posted a video demonstrating what could be the future of drone technology. The small drone you’re about to see has one distinguishing feature – it’s not carrying a battery. Continue reading
Safran signs MoU with Urban Aeronautics
Safran Helicopter Engines has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Urban Aeronautics to study new market opportunities and address power system solutions to support the development of an entirely new platform family of internal rotor aircraft. The Cormorant (formerly AirMule) UAV demonstrator is already flying powered by an Arriel 1D driving two ducted-fans. Continue reading
400 KM Flight on Single Battery Pack
After over a year of careful research and development, a New Zealand resident has achieved a long sought after goal. On Saturday, September 10th, Tim Vincent flew an RPFlightSystems, Inc. Vigilant C1 aircraft for a total of 425 kilometers on a single battery pack. Continue reading
Sentera’s AgVault Mobile App 2.0 Battery Swap Feature
Sentera has announced their latest update to the AgVault 2.0 Mobile iOS app, featuring a battery-swap capability that enables operators to plan a flight of any size, that seamlessly accommodates any number of batter swap-outs. The feature monitors battery life, notes the exact coordinates where it left off, and returns to the operator when a new battery is required. Once a replacement battery is installed, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) automatically resumes flight and data capture exactly where it left off.
Ultrathin Air-Stable Perovskite Solar Cells for Powering Unmanned Aircraft
Plastic foil substrates and chromium oxide interlayers are used in a novel technology that combines high efficiency, low weight, and extreme flexibility in a single platform.