Microwave powered drone successfully tested in Japan

A scientific team from Japan successfully lifted a small drone into the sky, which used the energy of microwaves to power its electric motors and thus successfully completed test flights. This experiment will be discussed in the current material.

Microwaves and the prospect of their use in the future

As you know, at the moment, most of the rockets fly on liquid or solid fuel. And at the same time, the weight of the substance necessary for the flight can be up to 90% of the total mass of the entire rocket.

For this reason, many scientists are looking for alternative power options for various aircraft. And one of the promising areas is the use of microwaves.

For reference. Microwaves are a type of electromagnetic radiation in which energy is present, and it can very well be converted into electricity in the same way as is the case with solar panels.

So in another scientific experiment, Japanese engineers generated electricity to power unmanned aerial vehicles, converting it into electricity.

So during the experiment, microwave radiation was transmitted from special antennas located on the ground to an antenna on the drone.

Subsequently, a special rectifier converted the radio frequency into direct current, which was then used to ensure the operation of the drone's motors.

Before that, scientists experimented with low-frequency waves, but it was found that increasing the frequency can significantly improve the efficiency of energy transfer.

As a result, in an extreme experiment, scientists used a frequency of 28 GHz to lift a drone weighing 400 grams into the air.

Thus, during the test, the drone captured approximately 30% of the emitted microwave radiation and successfully transformed approximately 40% of the “captured” radiation into electricity.

Despite the obvious success, the technology is still far from full-fledged commercial use and scientists are still will actively work to improve the efficiency of capturing and converting radiation into electricity.

But, despite all the current difficulties, it is possible that in the not too distant future, small aircraft will receive energy for flights in this way.

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