The daily operation volume of drones in the fields of power inspection and emergency rescue has exceeded 1 million, but the traditional battery change mode has caused 30% of the task time to be wasted in the return flight charging. The breakthrough of wireless charging technology is pushing the industry into a new era of "air station".

Three technical routes competing

1. Laser charging: Israeli startup WiBotic's laser system enables drones to "fly while charging" within 50 meters, but is limited by weather conditions

2. Microwave power transmission: The team of Kyoto University in Japan completed the 5.8GHz microwave charging experiment at a distance of 100 meters in 2023, with an efficiency of 38%

3. Magnetic resonance charging pad: ground-to-ground charging system jointly developed by DJI and Ningde Time, which can replenish 80% energy in 10 minutes

Typical application scenario

After State Grid Power adopts Huawei AirCharge solution, transmission line inspection efficiency has been significantly improved:

- The charging pile is integrated into the cross arm of the tower, and the landing accuracy of the drone is up to ±2cm

- Self-heating module ensures normal operation at -20℃

- Electromagnetic shielding technology makes the radiation intensity less than 1/20 of a mobile phone call

New opportunities in the industrial chain

According to Frost & Sullivan, the global drone wireless charging market will reach $2.7 billion in 2026. Charg Robotics, a Silicon Valley startup, has launched mobile charging vehicles that work with computer vision to dynamically charge in the field.

Security and regulatory evolution

The FAA's latest airworthiness regulations require wireless charging devices to be approved

- 2000V withstand voltage test

- Bird impact protection certification

- Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)Class B certification

Future trend

At the 2024 CES show, Qualcomm demonstrated distributed charging matrix technology that supports simultaneous charging of multiple drone formations. The academic community is also exploring the cutting-edge concept of electricity from the atmospheric ionosphere, or will completely rewrite the energy supply model.