en.Wedoany.com Reported - US companies Reach Power and Gambit have jointly announced the SWARM (Scalable Wireless Aerial Recharging Matrix) project, which aims to achieve aerial charging of drone swarms through wireless energy transmission and artificial intelligence collective intelligence technology, enabling small drones to remain airborne almost indefinitely, freeing them from reliance on battery capacity.
Small drones classified as Group 1 generally face endurance bottlenecks on the battlefield: a single charge typically provides about 30 minutes of flight time, and the actual effective time for swarms is even shorter. Increasing battery capacity drives up weight and cost, undermining their low-cost advantage as expendable assets. Additionally, manual battery replacement during operations is dangerous and cumbersome, resulting in an effective utilization rate of only 30% for drones in actual conflicts.
The SWARM project integrates two cutting-edge technologies: Reach Power's wireless energy transmission technology allows drones to autonomously move to specific reference points and receive energy in the air via radio frequency (RF) waves, without the need for landing or human intervention; Gambit's artificial intelligence collective intelligence enables each drone to monitor its own battery level in real time, dynamically adjusting the swarm's flight path based on mission objectives and charging point locations.
"When drones can charge in the air without human intervention, the full potential of autonomy and swarm formations is unleashed, overcoming the limitations of batteries," said Chris Davlantes, founder and CEO of Reach Power, in an interview with Interesting Engineering. The US Department of War has listed this energy transmission technology as a key priority for reducing logistical needs and risks in persistent drone coverage missions.
The ultimate application of the SWARM project targets critical missions requiring permanent presence, including uninterrupted intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), counter-unmanned aircraft systems (c-UAS), border security and air defense, as well as protection of ground-deployed forces.
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