A new drone that is 600 times lighter than normal has been unveiled. The drone operates essentially without fuel and uses solar power as its only power source. The drone industry has become more and more accessible for the every day person. This new drone is tiny and runs on solar power alone, increasing its running time significantly. The uses for drone technology span a vast number of industries from farming to military applications. Something that the Obama administration became known for. How will this new, tiny drone change the industry?
How prevalent have drones become in our every day lives?
The use of drones goes all the way back to the beginning of the century. As far back as the early 1900’s the UAV or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle was being developed and used. The drone owes its evolution mostly to the US military in one way or another. However, what we consider to be a drone nowadays only began to be seen in the skies around the 1950’s.
The US Air Force started developing larger, unmanned surveillance drones, like the MQ-1 Predator and the drone as we know it was born. The technology has advanced so much in a short space of time that a drone is now considered to be an inexpensive toy for kids. But the military applications are what drove the drone tech forward.
The goal today would be to make MAV’s or Micro Aerial Vehicles that can be used in a variety of ways. The smaller, more efficient drones can be used for farming, search and rescue, as well as the military applications we have previously referred to. That’s where the real applications of the technology are and no doubt where the most interest will come from.
What is so special about this new solar powered drone?
It must be noted that this is not the first drone to use solar power as its source. The problem with solar power is that it is not reliable. The power fluctuates and does not provide a stable power source for use. However, some researchers in China have used a different type of solar power for this drone. Which nobody seems to have thought to do before.
The difference is that the new CoulombFly uses electrostatic motors instead of electromagnetic motors. The static charge created by the electrostatic motors is more stable and efficient for super light flight. The new ultralight MAV, CoulombFly, is just 4.21g with a wingspan of 20 centimeters and has been developed by Mingjing Qi, a professor of energy and power engineering at Beihang University in Beijing, China.
China has a way of innovating existing technology for the better. This new drone has been tested in a controlled environment and sustained flight for about an hour. The real world might pose some other risks. Being so small, the possibilities for the technology are endless, not to mention the free power source of the sun. While still in the testing phase, we expect to see the drone soon.
What will the long term implications for the technology be?
The smaller the drone gets, the easier it becomes to get into places that it’s probably not welcome. China has one of the best spy networks and the technology to match. One wonders if this new drone will simply vanish off our radar only to be used by the Chinese government for nefarious purposes? The world is searching for the next fuel to power our drones, cars and bikes. Will the new tiny drone from China inspire the world to turn to the sun to power our ambitions and needs? Time will tell if the drone evolves even more.
