Project META (Microwave Energy Transmission for Aircraft)

Abstract : The viability of using microwave energy transmission technology to power air vehicles remotely was investigated. On-board antennas (rectennas) harvest the remotely beamed energy and transform it to a useful form of mechanical energy in order to keep the vehicle aloft for extended periods of time. While the idea of remote power transmission has been studied over the past few decades, the challenge with powering air vehicles lies in their unique geometry and dynamic flight patterns, which do not necessarily lend themselves well to power transmission. This research effort designed and built a rectenna to receive microwave energy and convert it to usable DC power. A prototype was designed and experimentally tested under controlled conditions. The efficiency of conversion and storage was also examined.