On 16 July, Professor Naoki Shinohara of the Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere (RISH) demonstrated a prototype of a measurement and monitoring system that comprises a drone (a recent major focus of media attention) and microwave power transmission and sensor technologies. Called a Multicopter-Assisted Wireless Batteryless Sensing System (WBLS), this invention is the result of a collaborative project involving RISH, Wireless Power Transfer Consortium for Practical Applications (WiPoT), Mini-Surveyor Consortium, and Autonomous Control Systems Laboratory Ltd.
In Multicopter-Assisted WBLS, a drone fitted with a wireless power transmission system uses radio waves to activate and then receive readings from batteryless measurement and monitoring instruments on the ground, and to transmit the received data back to relay and base stations. These capabilities open up a wide range of potential applications, including disaster relief and volcano monitoring.
The drone used in the demonstration
Demonstration in progress
