Chinese researchers have made a breakthrough in unmanned aviation by developing a lightweight system for contactless recharging of drones mid-flight. This technology allows drones to stay airborne for virtually unlimited periods, reports infohub.kz.
Scientists from the Civil Aviation University of China, led by Jianhua Han, have created a hybrid receiver that converts laser radiation into electricity. The device combines a perovskite laser cell and a thermoelectric module: the former directly converts laser light into current, while the latter uses the temperature difference between heated and cooled sides for additional power generation.
In laboratory tests, the system demonstrated an impressive conversion efficiency of 38.49% and successfully drove the propeller of a drone mock-up. To prevent overheating, the developers added antimony selenide nanocrystals and designed special cooling channels inside the aircraft's wing.
However, before commercial deployment, the complex task of precisely tracking a moving aircraft with the laser beam under real-world conditions must be solved. The research results were published in the journal Matter & Light.