01
Reach Demos 10-Hr. Quadcopter Flight Using Wireless Power
Reach Power demonstrated a 10-hour autonomous quadcopter flight sustained by wireless power beaming at Virginia Tech on September 22. The aircraft used onboard visual navigation and battery monitoring to leave the power beam, return at a programmed charge threshold and request renewed power without GPS, external tracking or manual flight control. An electronically steered radio-frequency beam reacquired the receiver and restored energy delivery during flight, compared with a battery-only endurance of approximately 90 seconds in the test configuration. Announced on October 28, the demonstration tested autonomous energy management and untethered persistence rather than deployment of an operational military surveillance system.