Wireless Tech Company Finds Way To Charge Drones In Flight

Global Energy Transmission (GET) co-founder William Kallamn says his wireless tech company has found a way to create a “power cloud” that can charge a drone while it’s in flight. “The system comprises a ground-based power station with a frame of wires positioned in a roughly circular shape,” reports Futurism. “When turned on, this creates an electromagnetic field in the air near the station. A drone equipped with a special antennae charges by flying into the range of the power cloud.” From the report: Eight minutes of charge time translates to 30 minutes of flight. One of GET’s power stations and two customized drones, each capable of carrying 7 kilograms (15.4 pounds), currently costs $120,000. It’s hard to overstate the potential for drones to change our world, but for seemingly every positive use for the machines (package delivery, search and rescue operations), there’s a negative one to consider (military weaponry, citizen surveillance). So, sure, a drone that never needs to land would be amazingly beneficial for moviemaking and sports coverage — two uses Kallman notes in [an interview with entertainment vlogger David Fordham] — but it’s hard to imagine military or government officials wouldn’t be highly interested in GET’s drone charging tech as well.