Researchers at Beihang University in China are developing a solar-powered drone that could theoretically stay in the air indefinitely. Mingjing Qi and his colleagues developed a simple circuit that scales up the voltage produced by solar panels significantly and this was integrated into a tiny drone prototype.

Drones are becoming increasingly deployed for a wide variety of activities. They have simply revolutionized the tech space with their versatility. However, the seemingly limited flight time available for most of these models limits their versatility. Active research is however ongoing to develop a tiny solar-powered drone that can fly forever theoretically.

The latest drone is an aerial robot weighing 4 grams and powered by solar panels. The panels can produce extremely high voltage power that can keep the drone airborne indefinitely. It features an unusual electrostatic motor in combination with its tiny solar panels. The model is a prototype that is as small as a hummingbird and was recorded to have operated for only one hour. The researchers at the heart of the solar-powered drone claim that their approach could produce insect-sized drones that can stay in the air indefinitely.

Tiny drones remain a fascinating attraction for many applications and help to deliver greater depth. They can be deployed for communications, reconnaissance, search-and-rescue operations, and so on. These are however hampered by the poor battery life. Solar-powered models on the other hand still struggle to generate enough power to make them self-sustaining.

As the solar-powered drones are scaled down in size, their solar panels become smaller, thus reducing the amount of energy available. The scaled-up voltage of the solar panels, according to Qi, was between 6,000 and 9,000 volts. They also innovatively chose an electrostatic motor for the drone unlike what is obtained in electric vehicles, quadcopters, and robots. The electrostatic propulsion system was used to power a 10-cm rotot.

There are no clear details yet when the tiny solar-powered aerial robot prototype will transit into a production model. The optics however remain bright as the researchers may be on the cusp of a great technological milestone.

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