In addition, Sustainable aviation is the new reality. Thanks to the creation of the CoulomFly micro air vehicle, a major step forward has been taken. Beihang University in China is the main developer of this unmanned aerial vehicle (drone). It should also be noted that it runs solely on renewable energy and solar power. Thanks to its electrostatic motor, it is much more efficient and sustainable. Read on to learn more about these tiny aerial vehicles.
A new airborne vehicles are created in drone forms
For almost a century, flying vehicles have been around. Aeroplanes, jets, and helicopters have been operating for over 100 years. In addition, unmanned aerial vehicles (aka drones) have truly been around for pretty much the same amount of time. They’ve just been no as technologically advanced than we are seeing currently.
As the years have passed, military drones were first known. Since then, a big variety of unmanned aerial vehicles have been produced, thankfully not for combat.
Currently, drones are extremely advanced. They are used for everything: from property management, farming, environmental surveying, marketing, conservation, and just for enjoyment. This innovative Chinese company has just presented one of the smallest aerial vehicles with a unique twist. The most unique feature is that it operates with no fuel at all!
Micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) are operating with no fuel
MAVs are small flying aircraft that can be used for low-altitude operations due to their measure. However, they have faced a number of difficulties surrounding their flight times, which have reportedly only have been able to reach close to 30 minutes.
In a breakthrough design, scientists in China have crafted the world’s smallest and lightest completely solar-powered aerial vehicle whose aim is to fly indefinitely while the sun is shining.
This amazing renewable energy MAV is dubbed the CoulombFly. It weighs in at only 4.21g and has a small wingspan of just 20 centimetres. This makes the CoulombFly about 600 times lighter than the last solar-powered aircraft, a huge feat. Mingjing Qi, a professor of energy and power engineering at Beihang University and one of the investigatos who built this MAV, says they plan to continue:
“My ultimate goal is to make a super tiny flying vehicle, about the size and weight of a mosquito, with a wingspan under 1 centimetre. Right now, there’s still a lot of room to improve things like motors, propellers, and circuits, so we think we can get the extra payload up to 4 grams in the future. If we need even more payload, we could switch to quadcopters or fixed-wing designs, which can carry up to 30 grams.”
Solar energy is with no doubt reaching great heights at the moment. Moreover, investigators have even produced this sensational invention that only uses the sun’s energy. These Chinese scientists are paving the way for further renewable energy creations.
The way the CoulombFly is outperforming other MAVs
Typical MAVs that have experienced flight time problems have been using electromagnetic motors to create motion, which isn’t very efficient for tiny vehicles. The CoulombFly is modifying the game by using an electrostatic motor to create electrostatic fields, which have proven almost 3 times as effective as aerlier motors.
In a recent texam, the CoulombFly was able to take off in 1 second and keep its flight for an hour with no deterioration signs. The MAV is also capable of carry an extra 1.59 grams, meaning it could support a camera or sensor for eventual operations. Qi underlines that the drone could potentially carry a battery too. In addition, this implies that it could fly even when the sun disappears.
The Chinese scientists are goint to continue. As they aim to create even smaller and better aircraft using microcircuit technology. This is just one of many amazing sustainable aviation efforts, showing the world where the future of drones is heading.
