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thewayneBaby steps first!
This test involved a Cessna turboprop flying at 5,000 meters in cross-winds of up to 70 knots - a bit bumpy! - and it successfully beamed power from the plane to ground-based receivers using wide-field infra-red light. It's low-density energy compared to microwave power, but it also isn't remotely dangerous in case the targeting system of the transmitter is compromised and used to hammer something other than the receiver!
There have been other demonstrations, CalTech did one a few years ago, this is the first using a moving platform against ground targets, which I think was a microwave test. But a really big problem with microwave? Radio spectrum. It's all allocated for 5G wireless and lots of other things. Infra-red light? Doesn't have bandwidth allocation issues.
Interesting stuff.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/wireless-power-movin-airplane
This test involved a Cessna turboprop flying at 5,000 meters in cross-winds of up to 70 knots - a bit bumpy! - and it successfully beamed power from the plane to ground-based receivers using wide-field infra-red light. It's low-density energy compared to microwave power, but it also isn't remotely dangerous in case the targeting system of the transmitter is compromised and used to hammer something other than the receiver!
There have been other demonstrations, CalTech did one a few years ago, this is the first using a moving platform against ground targets, which I think was a microwave test. But a really big problem with microwave? Radio spectrum. It's all allocated for 5G wireless and lots of other things. Infra-red light? Doesn't have bandwidth allocation issues.
Interesting stuff.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/wireless-power-movin-airplane
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Date: 2026-01-14 01:39 am (UTC)Hugs, Jon
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Date: 2026-01-14 04:46 am (UTC)This was just a test to see if they could do it. A full-scale implementation - many, MANY years down the line - would have large solar arrays in space beaming collected power down to the ground and into the grid. They probably had batteries powering the emitter in the plane to ensure a consistent output.