Horizon Unmanned Systems, a drone company based in Singapore, says it has developed micro fuel cells powered by hydrogen that will enable small multi-rotor drones to fly for up to four hours, instead of the 20 to 30 minutes that’s typical with lithium batteries. The prototype Hycopter stores compressed hydrogen fuel inside its tubular structure, saving on weight, and the company says the energy generated by a quarter pound of hydrogen is equal to about 6.6 pounds of lithium batteries. Since the Hycopter has so much less weight to lift, it can fly longer.
The hydrogen fuel is converted into electricity by a lightweight lithium polymer hybrid fuel cell, according to Gizmag. The drone will weigh about 11 pounds and be capable of carrying up to 2.2 pounds of payload. “By removing the design silos that typically separate the energy storage component from UAV frame development, we opened up a whole new category in the drone market, in-between battery and combustion engine systems,” said Horizon CEO Taras Wankewycz. “Hycopter is the first result of our efforts and we intend to demonstrate many more platform innovations in the coming months.” The flying prototype is expected to make its first flight later this year, according to Gizmag. Horizon Unmanned Systems is a new company that launched this year, as part of Horizon Dynamics, which also includes Horizon Energy Systems and Horizon Awareness Systems.
