Image Credit: Clint Egbert/Gulf News
Batteries get heavier as you increase the capacity and that remains a major limitation for quadcopter drones. Thus it’s difficult to get a few hours worth of nonstop flight time out of them. Military drones can obviously fly for much longer but that technology is entirely different from the quadcopters used by hobbyists and many emergency services. Dubai Police has come up with a different solution, it has unveiled a hydrogen drone which it says can fly for three hours continuously.
Dubai Police unveiled its hydrogen-powered drone at the 21st edition of Intersec. It’s the leading security, safety, and fire protection trade show and was held at the Dubai International Trade Center earlier this week.
“Dubai Police are keen to use the latest technology in police and field operations, including Drones, as it makes it easier for police to carry out their day-to-day tasks,” said InterSec 2019 coordinator Major Abdullah Mohammed Al Balushi.
Eng. Wael Asaad Ibrahim, Dubai Police Operations’ GM, said that this is the first time that hydrogen has been used as a power fuel for drones, adding that this drone will be able to fly for more than three hours continuously.
The Dubai Police will be using its hydrogen-powered drone to survey mountainous and marine areas in addition to conducting security surveillance.