CoulombFly (drone)

2024: Product Announcement

In mid-July 2024, Chinese researchers at Beijing Air and Space University reported the development of a tiny drone that could be airborne indefinitely. The drone, called CoulombFly, is powered by solar panels.

Miniature drones can be in demand in a variety of areas - from monitoring to search and rescue operations. However, the developers of such devices face a number of difficulties, one of which is the short battery life. Ultralight drones weighing up to 10 grams often cannot hold out in the air for 10 minutes. Chinese experts have proposed a way to solve the problem.

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The CoulombFly device weighs only 4.21 grams with a wingspan of 20 centimeters. Typically, drones equipped with solar panels use electromagnetic motors. However, the efficiency of such motors decreases sharply as the size of drones decreases. In addition, miniature solar panels are not always able to generate the required amount of energy. The creators of CoulombFly used an electrostatic engine, which weighs only 1.52 grams. It is claimed that the efficiency of this product is about two to three times higher compared to other engines that are used in miniature drones.

Above the CoulombFly electrostatic motor is a propeller. The design includes two thin-film solar cells based on gallium arsenide with a high power density and energy conversion efficiency of more than 30%: the dimensions of these batteries are 4 × 6 cm, weight - 0.48 grams. The CoulombFly powerplant can generate lift up to 5.8 grams. This means that the drone is capable of supporting an additional payload weighing approximately 1.59 grams.^[1]

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