Wireless power system keeps UAV airborne for 48 hours. Lockheed Martin have demonstrated a wireless power system that uses lasers to beam energy to an unmanned aerial vehicle. The ground-to-air recharging system was demonstrated for 48 hours before being shut off - but only as all the required tests had been completed, and could likely have stayed airborne for much longer. At the conclusion of the test the battery on the ‘Stalker Unmanned Aerial System’ had more energy stored than it did at the beginning. The laser power system was developed by LaserMotive, who won NASA’s Power Beaming Challenge in 2009, winning the US$900,000 prize. While this test was conducted in a controlled indoor environment using a wind tunnel, the next step will be to demonstrate it outdoors to prove it is ready for commercial and military applications.

Wireless power system keeps UAV airborne for 48 hours.

Lockheed Martin have demonstrated a wireless power system that uses lasers to beam energy to an unmanned aerial vehicle. The ground-to-air recharging system was demonstrated for 48 hours before being shut off - but only as all the required tests had been completed, and could likely have stayed airborne for much longer. At the conclusion of the test the battery on the ‘Stalker Unmanned Aerial System’ had more energy stored than it did at the beginning.

The laser power system was developed by LaserMotive, who won NASA’s Power Beaming Challenge in 2009, winning the US$900,000 prize.

While this test was conducted in a controlled indoor environment using a wind tunnel, the next step will be to demonstrate it outdoors to prove it is ready for commercial and military applications.

lockheedmartin.com

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  1. battles90 reblogged this from really-shit
  2. wtftopher reblogged this from 8bitfuture and added:
    Legit.
  3. resofactor reblogged this from emergentfutures
  4. tomurich reblogged this from emergentfutures
  5. gizmofender reblogged this from emergentfutures
  6. cycoon reblogged this from futurist-foresight and added:
    I THOUGHT OF THIS WHEN I WAS LITTLE. I thought to myself: why don’t they just beam the power to the devices? Well now,...
  7. powerofpaper reblogged this from 8bitfuture
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  11. vanzelst reblogged this from emergentfutures and added:
    Pretty cool… I do wonder how this will be applied outside a laboratory.
  12. d34th4ndcottonc4ndy reblogged this from heshiko
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  20. for-all-mankind reblogged this from futurist-foresight and added:
    Too bad no one remembers that Nikola Tesla developed this in the first years of the 20th century.
  21. cody-orr reblogged this from emergentfutures
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  23. toneverlandnbeyond reblogged this from futurist-foresight and added:
    Wireless power system keeps UAV airborne for 48 hours.
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