© AP/Eric Gay
Mr. Moore gave Business Insider a demonstration of the technology he's perfecting by using a glider as proof of concept.
In short, if a drone is equipped with the a magnetometer it should be possible to make the aircraft capable of identifying magnetic fields given off by power lines, home in on the signal they emit, and then maneuver in such a way that would allow the drone to perch until fully charged.
Developing such a system for fixed wing aircraft is desirable because of their ability to carry heavier loads than those that use a quadrotor design, Business Insider reported.
During the demo it was given by Mr. Moore, Business Insider reported that the glider, even without a fully-developed perching mechanism, was able to come "within centimeters" of a mock power line.
Reader Comments
Something that big sitting on a power line is a bad idea.
High voltage lines are usually uninsulated and designed to have a spacing between wires, to prevent shorting between phases or ground.
There is a safe clearance distance that goes from a meter to a few meters based on voltage.
I am reminded of a mess that happened at an electrical substation. A big bird landed on a line and spread it's wings. Not even touching the other phase (but coming close to it), there was a big arc which killed the bird and tripped out half the station!