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Could solar cells for wings provide enough power?

• jedimastert 8y ago
  I don't know that it would be possible with this design. The wings are a kind of plastic sheeting. They kinda look like bits of shower curtain, actually
• tachyonbeam 8y ago
  These wings are obviously very thin, light and flexible. The battery is also a lithium-polymer one, which can deliver a lot of power for a short duration (eg: 20 watts for 5 minutes). With current tech, it wouldn't be possible for this robot. I also don't think it would be possible for this robot to generate enough power to keep flying continuously, even if you had 100% efficient ultra-light solar cells. All of that being said, there are solar-powered drones with large static wings out there, typically based on glider designs. We can also imagine a design where a drone lands and recharges using solar power for ten minutes, and then flies for a short one-minute trip. With the fly-inspired design in this video, it could probably take off vertically.
• LeifCarrotson 8y ago
  No. Not enough ratio of surface area to volume. One of the reasons these systems (and their insect inspirations) can fly so nimbly, while a jumbo jet or elephant is more plodding in comparison, is the "cube/square law" - an object increases in weight much more quickly than it increases in area, and it in reases in area much more quickly than it increases in length. You can get a decent ratio of volume (weight and chemical power storage) to surface area and heat dissipation/respiratory potential with tiny systems. If you want a lot of area (solar power insolation), you need to go bigger and slower.