Autonomous drone recharging from power lines [video]

TL;DW: A video of a drone recharging itself from a power line.

My research group works on aerial robots and we recently demonstrated sustained autonomous operations by inductively recharging from overhead power lines. A radar-based perception system feeds into an MPC-based trajectory controller which steers the drone towards the target power line. As it approaches, a passive gripping mechanism grasps the cable. Holding force and energy harvesting is achieved by manipulating the current in the split core transformer embedded in the gripper.

For now, the prototype system is only being tested on high-current low-voltage (5V 300A) power lines and the ratio between flight time and charging time is not yet great.

We are working on a pre-print, but in the meantime you can find our previous work here https://portal.findresearcher.sdu.dk/en/persons/esme/publica... and related videos on our YouTube channel.