Danes Create Self-charging Drone That Uses High-voltage Line

A team of researchers at the University of Southern Denmark has succeeded in creating a self-charging drone that can recharge itself by clinging to a power line. Logically, the technology is ideally suited for drones that have to inspect long, high-voltage routes, but other applications are also on the horizon.

Self-charging drone on the go

Although the flight time of (multirotor) drones has improved considerably in recent years – a flight time of one hour on a single battery charge is no longer uncommon – the limited battery capacity is still a bottleneck when it comes to missions over longer distances. Think of inspecting miles of high-voltage lines: it is not convenient for a drone to keep returning because the battery is running out.

Scientists at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) thought that a drone could easily charge itself on the way from such a high-voltage line. That way, the self-charging drone would not have to return to base for a fresh battery…