Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) hold immense potential across various fields, including precision agriculture, rescue missions, delivery services, weather monitoring, and many more. Despite this promise, the limited flight duration of current UAVs stands as a significant obstacle to their widespread adoption. Attempting to extend flight time by solar panel charging during midflight is not viable due to battery limitations and the eventual need for replacement. This article highlights exciting efforts towards the future of a UAV that survives in the air by harvesting solar energy and performing long-term missions without battery re-charging and/or replacement.
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Liller et al. (2024) studied this question.
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