Drone Flies Without Batteries Using Wireless Power

A while ago, we were talking about how manufacturing drones was a balancing act. One of the reasons was that bigger batteries allow drones to fly faster and farther but reduce flight time, making the joy short-lived. But what if we could make drones fly solo, no batteries involved? Dr. Samer Aldhaher from the Imperial College London accomplished just that #actionmagic

Using electromagnetic induction, he made a drone hover for as long as he pleased. With the wireless power transmitter working beneath it, there was no time constraint. Just like powering your smartphone wirelessly. The electric charge moved the rotors, lifting the small drone off the ground.

It looked like magic, but it was straightforward science. The drone was built with custom hardware, so bringing this thing into production is possible, but not probable for the following year. Also, as you can see from the demonstration clip above, the drone can fly just five inches above the base, not more.

This solution is ingenious but it still got a long way to go before it can send a drone flying at a respectable height and for a longer time.