Development of a battery free, solar powered, and energy aware fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

Abstract 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 the current UAVs stands as a significant obstacle to their broadscale deployment. 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 paper details our investigation of a battery-free fixed-wing UAV, built from cost-effective off-the-shelf components, that takes off, remains airborne, and lands safely using only solar energy. In particular, we perform a comprehensive analysis and design space exploration in the contemporary solar harvesting context and provide a detailed accounting of the prototype’s mechanical and electrical capabilities. We also derive the Greedy Energy-Aware Control (GEAC) and Predictive Energy-Aware Control (PEAC) solar control algorithm that overcomes power system brownouts and total-loss-of-thrust events, enabling the prototype to perform maneuvers without a battery. Next, we evaluate the developed prototype in a bench-top setting using artificial light to demonstrate the feasibility of batteryless flight, followed by testing in an outdoor setting using natural light. Finally, we analyze the potential for scaling up the evaluation of batteryless UAVs across multiple locations and report our findings.