Chinese scientists announce development of drone that can stay in the air 'forever'

According to the Hong Kong edition of SCMP, Chinese scientists have announced that they have managed to create a drone that can be kept in the air “forever” thanks to high-energy laser beams.

The publication notes that in many countries they are working on the creation of powerful laser systems for the destruction of drones, but in the Celestial Empire they decided to use them for other purposes. The new drone was developed by scientists from the Northwest Polytechnic University of China (NPU), led by Professor Li Xuelong.

The essence of the development of Chinese scientists is that the laser beam is used not only to track the drone, but also to remotely power the drone. To do this, a photoelectric conversion module was installed on the device, which converts light energy into electricity.

The scientists said that the tests of “eternally hanging” drones in the air were successful and they were able to provide wireless transmission of energy over a considerable distance.

The NPU noted that the development of new drones, where scientists have successfully combined the autonomous charging process with intelligent signal transmission and processing technology, has shown the unlimited endurance potential of optical drive drones.

Chinese scientists claim that the new drone is equipped with a mechanism to automatically adjust the laser power to a safe range if an obstacle is detected in the beam path, writes SCMP.

Comments

[voice of reason]

Well, it looks more like a theoretical calculation, which the popularizers misunderstood. Yes, in principle, energy can be transmitted along a laser beam. but to overcome the atmosphere, the power of the laser installation will have to be made such that the whole station must feed it. And a small nuance of the drone will then be tied to a certain point in space and depend on the reception of this feeding beam itself. Well, and probably a bunch of all sorts of pitfalls. In the form of impermeability of the atmosphere and low efficiency of reverse processing for the operation of propellers, if it is made according to the classical scheme. In short, theory is theory, and up to the practical implementation of a compact flying cheap drone with just laser power, about the same as before a cold fusion reactor. One step a couple of centuries long ... Rather, air drones-airships will soon be revived, possibly in a compact version using non-combustible gas such as helium.

[APASUS]

Quote: voice of reason

Well, it looks more like a theoretical calculation, which the popularizers misunderstood. Yes, in principle, energy can be transmitted along a laser beam. but to overcome the atmosphere, the power of the laser installation will have to be made such that the whole station must feed it. And a small nuance of the drone will then be tied to a certain point in space and depend on the reception of this feeding beam itself.

The air around the laser beam is ionized and is capable of transmitting electricity. I used this idea in a slightly different plane, but in principle it is possible

[igorbrsv]

This is already a beam of plasma, it seems to me

[astepanov]

When it seems you need to be baptized. From a laser pointer, too, a beam of plasma? Plasma can form only at a very high power density, and then the beam is scattered by the plasma. And is it necessary?
1. A small drone only needs hundreds of watts of power to operate. This means that the power of the power source of a ground-based laser can be a few kilowatts: a simple household generator.
2. The scattering of the beam in the air does not play a role: the task is not to cut the drone, and the spot from the beam should be in the dimensions of the photoconverter.
3. The drone can be designed to solve non-military tasks, but other tasks: protecting the territory, observing fires, it can carry relay equipment and over-the-horizon antennas.
4. If the laser operates in the IR range, this significantly reduces the beam scattering.

[topol717]

Quote: astepanov

1. A small drone only needs hundreds of watts of power to operate. This means that the power of the power source of a ground-based laser can be a few kilowatts: a simple household generator.

Hundreds of watts is a few tens of kg of payload. why so powerful?
a couple of tens of watts and with good efficiency, a 100-watt laser is enough, but the whole difficulty is in obtaining a more or less normal efficiency of the photoconverter, at least 10 percent.

[yuriy55]

Quote: voice of reason

Yes, in principle, energy can be transmitted along a laser beam. but to overcome the atmosphere, the power of the laser installation will have to be made such that the whole station must feed it.

Quote: APASUS

The air around the laser beam is ionized and is capable of transmitting electricity. I used this idea in a slightly different plane,but in principle it is possible

The essence, which the authors of the innovation outlined recently in a scientific article, is as follows: by means of an installation located on Earth, it is necessary to generate laser beams with a total power of about 100 megawatts. They will be sent into orbit, where the device will be launched - the payload, as scientists call it. The rays will catch the reflector and redirect to the heating chamber. There they will heat the hydrogen plasma to several tens of thousands of degrees, which will create the so-called laser-thermal thrust, escaping through the nozzle, and as a result, quickly accelerate the payload to 17 kilometers per second. It will be possible to fly to Mars at this speed in 45 days, and to the Moon in just 8 hours. Including braking, of course. Thus, in fact, it will turn out directly, as in the song: "without help, but through the mediation."

Here, moving on a beam of light
Without help, but through,
I’m flying to Tau Ceti
To deal with her on the spot.

[Two]

Massoviki - entertainers! And smokes, fogs with rains!?

[credo]

Theoretically, an ordinary aircraft equipped with a fuel injection unit in the air can fly forever.
In addition, I remember not so long ago - if I'm not mistaken - the Swiss tested an aircraft on photocells with recharging in flight from the sun, but so far it has not gone into production. Apparently, the operators do not yet see the point in using it.

What the Chinese invented there is known only to them, but an alien drone forever hanging in the air is very dangerous for any enemy, so apparently now scientists from other countries will take care of creating a continuous vertical invisible wall capable of "extinguishing" any flying objects ahead of time preventing them from penetrating into foreign airspace .

[Azim77]

Quote: credo

an alien drone forever hanging in the air is very dangerous for any enemy

Alternatively, a Mylar helium balloon can hang for a month. For many tasks, this is "eternity". Therefore, it is easier and cheaper to combine this ball as a lifting force - with a drone, the driving force of which is used only for horizontal movements. Then the flight time of such a hybrid drone should increase significantly.

[Vasia]

Quote: Dos

Massoviki - entertainers! And smokes, fogs with rains!?

So I understand that it must also be in the line of sight, you can’t fly that far, especially in a city or in a forest ...

[Fisherman]

hydrogen cells are the future of aviation, and all sorts of "recharges on the go" are theoretical fun.

[2112vda]

CIAM also thought so and "oversaturated" our troops with UAVs with fuel cells powered by hydrogen. All of Ukraine "groans" from these silent and invisible reconnaissance and attack drones. In 2015, CIAM even won a competition in this topic with its own fuel cells, or there will be more.

[Fisherman]

you confuse warm with red .... salty and white are also different.

[Adrey]

Chinese scientists announce development of drone that can stay in the air 'forever'

Did they really come up with a hot air balloon?!

[SwR9]

There is a project by the Plekhanov brothers, when a drone can actually also hang "forever" charging over special towers. https://youtu.be/dfjG6B4rcJc

[Leader_Barmaleev]

There is no better target indicator than laser illumination. So "forever" this drone can only hang where it does not interfere with anyone. And in the war zone, his life is no more than a minute.

[voyaka uh]

It depends on what height.
If it hangs at an altitude of 5 km, then to shoot it down
you will need a very expensive rocket.
And the launch unmasks the launcher.
Meanwhile, from a height of 5 km, modern optics provide
detailed observation of a vast territory.

[Leader_Barmaleev]

1. for observation from a height of 5 km. ordinary cheap drones that change each other, or a balloon are enough.
2. The cost of an energy-beam-energy converter may be more expensive than a rocket.
3. Eliminating the possibility of detailed observation of the terrain costs missiles - it is not a drone that is exchanged for a missile, but a missile for intelligence.
4. The laser beam not only illuminates the drone, but also, with an accuracy of up to a centimeter, indicates the place where the laser is located, the generator to the laser, a calculation is possible, so that the rocket may not fly to the drone.
Each of these points individually makes the idea of ​​such energy supply meaningless, and all together ... But I noticed that you like to object and argue - not the worst quality, but you also need to analyze.

[gsev]

And if the reconnaissance drone is not constantly fed with energy, but intermittently. Completed a reconnaissance flight for half an hour. Flew off to the rear, hovering over the charging station, which is hidden in a bunker, camouflaged or constantly moving. It was powered by energy for half an hour and again flew towards the enemy. In addition, this technique allows you to automate the process of servicing drones. Such drones hang on the border and monitor the area and on the beyond of the neighbor for 40-50 kilometers. And the information from them is transmitted to the central post. In the navy. A light ship can be equipped with a drone that will help detect targets at a distance 10 times greater than from a ship in a storm and pitching.

[Leader_Barmaleev]

If the drone needs to fly to the rear for charging, then it is easier for it to sit down and be powered from the outlet - nothing fundamentally changes, but it costs a thousand times cheaper. And if you need a permanent optical post, then 30 kilometers from the front line (on our side, of course) place several tethered balloons, raise them 30 kilometers and look at enemy territory for almost 1000 km. Anything cheaper than laser converters will come out and more effective at times.

[igorbrsv]

Wouldn't it be easier to use directional high-frequency radiation
I really don't really

[Leader_Barmaleev]

Wouldn't it be easier to use directional high-frequency radiation

So laser radiation is one of the highest frequencies - these are terahertz and higher. It's just that the topic of energy transfer by rays is cyclically activated, then withering again. The fact is that this idea is good for a vacuum, preferably absolute, and in the air with its humidity, dust, smoke, one garbage comes out - then the beam will scatter, then the plasmoid will form, then it will caress someone with resonance. So no, it's not easier.

[Nikolaevich I]

Well, this is Chinese "know-how"! Chinese ... because, in principle, such an idea has long been known in the world! What were they not going to "feed"! And a laser beam, and a maser ... and a radio beam of a powerful radar! The idea "has the right to be"! Options for implementation can be varied! 1. It can also be a "laser" plane flying up to a "chargeable" UAV ... 2. and the principle of a laser "gun" from the SDI program [a laser on the ground ... "reflecting" a mirror ... (in space, atmosphere ...)] By the way, there is an idea for a "laser" rocket! (In a rocket there is a kind of solid propellant rocket engine, that is, a "checker" of the working substance (!) A powerful laser beam is "aimed" at the nozzle, under the influence of which the working substance "evaporates" ... a jet stream is formed that creates jet thrust!)
By the way, there are projects and, it seems, some prototypes of UAVs with FOCL! Quite acceptable for short-range tactical "quads"! And control, and you can try photoelectric "feeding"! From myself, I can remind you of the Malyutka gun with a 3-wire microcable, through which both control signals and power were supplied to the rocket!

[Storog dvornik]

In the USSR, they tried to use a laser beam as a means of missile defense ... In theory, the beam acted as a conductor (they wrote above about air ionization), through which powerful voltage was directed to the rocket body from the ground, and burned the control system, or even undermined the warhead ...

[Alien From]

While our cartoons are being drawn by the Chinese people, the fairy tale has remained as it was.

[Sanichsan]

"yours" who is this?
in Russia, this technology was patented back in 2020.
https://xn--80akfo2a.xn--p1ai/2020/10/30/18163/

[minus]

A patent and a real embodiment are completely different. Yes, even before experimental verification, patents do not always reach. So at least patent, at least don’t patent .... Anyway, the Chinese will do it, but they will wipe it with a patent. Rather not. They won’t wipe themselves, but the patent owner will be sent to wipe their snot.

[evgen1221]

Well, what will the lazar work on and how much will it eat to keep this drone in the air? And how will it work forever in a storm and rain? It can, according to the principle of an autogyro, launch a kite behind a ship, it also always comes out economically, environmentally friendly, and technologically.

[Nikolaevich I]

Quote: evgen1221

And how will it work forever in a storm and rain?

In fact, somehow the military considered CO2 lasers to be very promising, well "penetrating" "fog and rain"!

[Egeny]

Chinese scientists announced

British scientists have proven, well done.)

[Ghost1]

As usual, in the comments, the experts chewed everything up and delivered a verdict that everything was garbage. Well, the same garbage as Musk with his starlink, "the showman decided to make a non-realizable", I remember a couple of years ago it also seemed delusional and many did not believe it.

[Dismas]

Yes, it seems that according to the "starlink" no one talked about unrealizability. So they talked about the idea of ​​lunar tourism and the colonization of Mars. And here the technology has been worked out - putting the payload into orbit, it would be loot and engineering and technical support (NASA to help), and the reusability of the carrier, which is also not know-how. Astronomers protested - ten dark satellites in low orbits will put an end to observational ground-based astronomy.

[George Miloslavsky]

And China is not interested in demoscanning such a beam of its positions)

[art having]

British scientists shared nonsense with Chinese colleagues?

[dump22]

Well done the Chinese!
So another couple of years will pass and there all goods will be delivered only by drones, and the courier profession will die out.

[evgen1221]

But how the profession of a freeloader with an anti-drone gun from a microwave will flourish!)))

[kotev19]

What clever Chinese scientists! What possibilities does this open up in space exploration! How many works and discoveries await our world. Even for me, a retired historian, there is work from home. Let's say here's an option for the future:
I remember how the Americans on the Moon (Moon) in the time of Armstrong, Colins and Aldrin used a laser rangefinder beam to determine the distance from the Earth to the Moon. Imagine if you use the same beam from the Earth to use a flying drone with a camera on the surface of the Moon. It would hang over a certain square of the territory of the Moon, and I would study its surface from home and look for artifacts and "odd things". So one more specialty would have been put on its feet - SPACE ARCHEOLOGY.
Thank you people of China!
PS Actually, this is how the American Joseph Skipper worked, but only he looked at photos from NASA. See: https://www.tarrdaniel.com/documents/Ufology/marsanomaly.html

[Arkady007]

For me, it’s easier to make solar panels on the UAV wing.

[kotev19]

As a joke! I think the solar panels should be put down on the traffic cameras shown in the photo (below). Isn't this "Evil 2M"?

[Anatoly Proskurin]

useless technology for combat. The radiation source is visible and not moving. Covers quickly.

[Peaceful SEO]

Quote: kotev19

What clever Chinese scientists! What possibilities does this open up in space exploration! How many works and discoveries await our world. Even for me, a retired historian, there is work from home. Let's say here's an option for the future:
I remember how the Americans on the Moon (Moon) in the time of Armstrong, Colins and Aldrin used a laser rangefinder beam to determine the distance from the Earth to the Moon. Imagine if you use the same beam from the Earth to use a flying drone with a camera on the surface of the Moon. It would hang over a certain square of the territory of the Moon, and I would study its surface from home and look for artifacts and "odd things". So one more specialty would have been put on its feet - SPACE ARCHEOLOGY.
Thank you people of China!

I'm wildly sorry ... But what kind of crab will the drone hang over the surface of the moon (!!!)? Have they already brought the atmosphere there? :)
Or will the drone float there on anti-gravity waves? :)))