Move over, hummingbirds – there's a new lightweight champion in town! Chinese researchers at Beihang University have developed CoulombFly, the world's smallest and lightest solar-powered drone weighing just 4.21 grams (lighter than a paperclip! 📎) with a wingspan smaller than your laptop charger. This micro-wonder could #ChangeTheGame for environmental monitoring and disaster response.
The Tech Behind the Tiny Titan
🔋 No batteries needed: The drone's secret sauce is an electrostatic motor powered by sunlight, letting it fly indefinitely under clear skies. Its custom boost converter (think: superhero power-up ⚡) amplifies voltage to 9,000V – outperforming similar Stanford tech by 92%!
Why It Matters
Imagine swarms of these insect-sized drones:
🌱 Tracking deforestation in real-time
🚨 Mapping disaster zones too dangerous for humans
📸 Capturing aerial footage without disturbing wildlife
While current models can’t carry heavy cameras yet, researchers already plan a 9-milligram successor – about the weight of a grain of rice! 🍚
