Laser Power System Allows Drones To Fly Without Battery Swaps

by Aaron Leong — Tuesday, August 11, 2026, 11:10 AM EDT

Lab-testing the laser receiver on a drone - Image: Matter & Light

Imagine UAVs that can stay in the air indefinitely. Researchers have taken a major step toward that reality with the development of a wing-mounted receiver that allows the craft to wirelessly recharge via ground-based green laser beams.

Published in the Matter & Light journal, a study led by Han Jianhua at the Civil Aviation University of China details a device capable of converting an impressive 38.49% of incoming laser energy into usable electricity. That efficiency figure represents one of the highest ever recorded for over-the-air laser power transmission.

Energy-converting laser cell - Image: Matter & Light

The setup achieves its performance through a dual-action tandem architecture: at the front end is a specialized perovskite laser cell, which functions like an ultra-focused solar panel tuned specifically to capture 520-nanometer green laser light. Mounted beneath it is a thermoelectric generator, which collects waste heat from the optical cell and turns that into supplementary electrical power.

However (and rather ironically), blasting a compact receiver with lasers presents a massive thermal problem. During initial testing, temperatures quickly spiked between 80°C and 90°C (174°F and 194°F).

Obviously this heat threatened to degrade the perovskite layer and risk structural damage to the aircraft itself, so what the team did was integrate specialized antimony triselenide nanocrystals into the receiver matrix. Because these nanocrystals are poor thermal conductors, they form a shield that protects the perovskite layer while preserving the extreme temperature difference needed for the thermoelectric generator to churn out extra electricity. Crucially, adding the nanocrystals also enlarged the crystal grains within the perovskite material, reducing internal defects and smoothing electron transport.

Stages of laser cell in operation - Image: Matter & Light

Moreover, the engineers added air-cooling channels directly into the aircraft's wing structure. As air passes through the wing during flight, it actively cools the back side of the thermoelectric layer, increasing its electrical output while simultaneously reducing aerodynamic drag and generating extra lift. In lab trials, the complete receiver drove a drone propeller at a continuous 7,820 revolutions per minute without the speed drops or overheating issues seen in unoptimized setups.

That said, there are other hurdles for this concept to even see the light at the end of a production line. There's the issue where ground-based emitters must incorporate automated tracking systems reliable enough to hold a narrow laser beam on a small moving target amidst turbulence, cloud cover, and wind gusts. Additionally, strict safety protocols will be needed to ensure high-power beams do not pose risks to wildlife, aviation, or ground crews.