Lots of talk about Hydrogen power, solar power and alternative energy systems but if you truly want continuous flight time I believe laser transmission of power to the drones is probably the only realistic method (apart from uranium but who wants that drone crashing on  the school play ground).  I envision we will have high towers providing laser power to requesting drones. The drones will send a laser signal to the tower requesting charging.  The tower will then point a 1000W+ laser at the drone based on where the low powered laser is originating from.   The laser will hit PV Cells that will then turn the laser back into usable power and charge the on board battery.  If the laser tower stops receiving the signal or payment from the drone it will cut transmission of the laser power.

I really don't see any other good method of keeping such an energy hungry device powered, especially since we envision they will be performing so many tasks from home delivery to security surveillance

  

Flyin'Bryan Posted at 2016-3-27 21:28
That's what we need, people shooting lasers around into the horizon toward airplanes and helicopters ...

Not sure you read my post in its entirety.  The drone needs to send a low powered laser signal to the tower to request charging so the tower will only transmit power to the drone as long as it has line of sight to the low powered laser originating from the drone. Standard Laser protocols can be used for communication and if another device broke line of sight from the low powered laser hitting the tower the high powered laser will immediately stop transmitting.  

Flyin'Bryan Posted at 2016-3-27 21:38
I know Nink, I was just throwing a bit of humor at the concept of it.. That's all.

sorry Flyin Bryan  I just spent day at the in laws for Easter so I kind of lost my sense of humar about 8 hours ago. What was worse is I had to stay sober as I was the designated driver.  The high light of the day was the fact they live next to a ravine so I managed to drag everyone out side for a quick flight around the area.  

Nink Posted at 2016-3-28 12:35
Not sure you read my post in its entirety.  The drone needs to send a low powered laser signal to ...

The problem with that is a 1000W laser coming back at the drone and anything that happens to get in the way. I have a 60 Watt industrial laser and it cuts metal, so imagine what 1000W would do to anything that strayed into its path.

Why not hamster wheels?

Perhaps a bit too much Star Trek...?  
Look at the infrastructure needed for cell phone communications masts; you would need construction of laser shooting towers in enough numbers to have direct line of site to a drone wherever it may be, and not fry anything in its path? (like other drones, planes and the flying cars we'll have by then....)
The idea that the main laser gets cut off if the low-powered laser gets interupted by anything is still probably a few miliseconds too late to stop the damage.....

Leaving that aside, if Photo-voltaic cells were developed enough to not get fried by a thousand watt laser (that would literally melt anything it hits), and to charge whatever yet-to-be-developed battery to fill up in a split second and actually hold that power, then surely such a solar panel would actually be powerful and efficient enough to just power the cells from the Sun's rays....?  

I would put my money more on some form of photon-voltaic cell that creates power from a tiny fully sealed radioactive particle with a half life of a decade or two.....  Self sealed, self powered and no lasers needed....
Cool ideas.... But that's enough physics for me for today....
Ian

wellsi Posted at 2016-3-28 18:17
Perhaps a bit too much Star Trek...?   
Look at the infrastructure needed for cell phone communica ...

Nah, it's all so yesterday, you need a warp core powered by anti-matter, any Trekkie knows that.

Laser powered drones, sound like something futuristic... very far from reality

Geebax Posted at 2016-3-28 00:49
The problem with that is a 1000W laser coming back at the drone and anything that happens to get i ...

I have a 60 watt light bulb on my desk and it lights the room.  You have a 60 watt laser and it cuts through metal. The reason the laser cuts through metal is because the photons are concentrated to a focal area of < 1mm  the lightbulb the photons head out in all direction.  

If you take a 1000 w laser and focus on a 1mm point it will cut through metal like butter but if you take a 1000 w laser and have a focal area of 1000mm you are only delivering 1 w per mm.  At this level you could safely wave your hand through the laser without any damage.  

DJI-Tim Posted at 2016-3-28 07:48
Laser powered drones, sound like something futuristic... very far from reality

wanna bet

wellsi Posted at 2016-3-28 03:17
Perhaps a bit too much Star Trek...?   
Look at the infrastructure needed for cell phone communica ...

If the laser energy is dispersed over a large enough surface area you deliver the same amount of power that can picked up by the PV cells without actually doing any damage. .  The laser would cut off in plenty of time after losing line of site to the receiving drone.  The good thing about drones is they can fly higher than any building so delivering line of site is not an issue.  Example in Toronto we have the CN tower.  I live 30km away from it but I can see it from my front Door.  You can charge the drone as long as it has line of site to the tower, you don't need to do it in a split second.  Storms, Snow, Heavy fog  are a problem but I am not sure drones should be flying in that weather anyway.

As for the radioactive material I am not sure I want radioactive Pizza delivered to my door

Nink Posted at 2016-3-28 23:18
I have a 60 watt light bulb on my desk and it lights the room.  You have a 60 watt laser and it cu ...

Yes, and when it is 1000mm wide it will go 10 feet through fog and be dissipated. That's if it even gets that far. The only reason a laser travels any distance is that it is a powerful thin beam. Note in the demo they do not transmit through air.

Geebax Posted at 2016-3-28 17:49
Yes, and when it is 1000mm wide it will go 10 feet through fog and be dissipated. That's if it even ...

Geebax do you own a laser pointer. Shine it at a wall.   Did it shine more than 10 feet.  A 1 watt laser is 200 time more powerful. You can buy a 5w  solid state laser on ebay that is 1000 times more powerful that will travel 2 km with minimal loss. Now take 200 5w laser and fire them at a drone.  Do the math.

LaserMotive was powering light aircraft at 600 Meters as part of a NASA challenge  back in 2012   http://lasermotive.com/2012/08/0 ... owered-uas-flights/
and then they went dark while DARPA and other agencies continued to do research in this space and if you believe they can't provide 1000w of power over 2km distance today via laser you are delusional.  Why limit this technology to tax payer  funded government agencies and make it available to consumers today.

Nink Posted at 2016-3-29 12:41
Geebax do you own a laser pointer. Shine it at a wall.   Did it shine more than 10 feet.  A 1 watt ...

' Why limit this technology to tax payer  funded government agencies and make it available to consumers today. '

Because it is not practical to beam 1000 watts of laser energy around the landscape to power consumer level drones and it would simply not be permitted. I am not delusional, no need to be rude.

'Do the math.'

No, I would like to see you provide the math though.

Geebax Posted at 2016-3-28 22:18
' Why limit this technology to tax payer  funded government agencies and make it available to consu ...

Well at least we have moved form impossible to not permitted.  

Nink Posted at 2016-3-28 20:21
wanna bet

Very interesting video, Nink!