Imagine a drone so tiny it weighs less than a sheet of paper 📄, yet powerful enough to fly endlessly under the sun 🌞! Sounds like sci-fi? Well, it's reality now, thanks to some brilliant minds in Beijing.
Researchers at Beihang University have developed CoulombFly, a palm-sized, solar-powered drone that can soar indefinitely as long as it bathes in sunlight ☀️. This mini marvel is 1/10 the size and 1/600 the weight of previous solar-powered aircraft, making it a game-changer in the world of micro aerial vehicles.
Micro drones are known for their versatility—think environmental monitoring 🌳, search and rescue missions 🚑, or navigating tight spaces. But they've always had one major setback: short flight times due to battery limitations. Traditional drones use electromagnetic motors, which overheat and lose efficiency at high speeds. Plus, smaller drones have less surface area to capture sunlight, making solar power challenging.
So, how did the team overcome this? They ditched the traditional motor and embraced the power of static electricity ⚡️! Inspired by the Coulomb force—the force between electrically charged particles at rest—they created an electrostatic motor that spins the drone's blades using electrically charged circles. This innovative approach reduces heat because it operates at high voltage but low current, keeping things cool under pressure ❄️.
In their study published in Nature, lead researcher Qi Mingjing explained that this technology boosts energy conversion efficiency by over ten times compared to traditional motors, with a fraction of the power consumption. That means longer flight times without the overheating issues.
Before CoulombFly, drones like Harvard's Robobee needed artificial light sources much stronger than natural sunlight to stay airborne. But CoulombFly can glide endlessly using just the sun's rays, a significant leap forward 🌟.
What's next? The possibilities are sky-high! With further development, this tiny drone could be invaluable in emergency rescues, exploring narrow spaces, or any scenario where size and endurance matter.
Reference(s):
Researchers develop tiny solar-powered drones for extended flight
cgtn.com
