World’s first solar-powered helicopter takes to the air

Students at the University of Maryland have created a solar-powered helicopter and tested it with a nine-second flight.

A University of Maryland student team has created and flown a helicopter powered entirely by the sun.

The engineering students’ vehicle, Solar Gamera, follows in the spirit of the Masdar-sponsored Solar Impulse 2, the first purely solar aircraft to circumnavigate the Earth. It was tested on a nine-second flight – a humble but still groundbreaking milestone for sustainable transport.

* Video and content courtesy CNBC

Follow The National’s Business section on Twitter

Published: September 20, 2016 04:00 AM

SHARE

SHARE

Editor's Picks
Denmark's Christian Eriksen controls the ball during the Euro 2020 soccer championship group B match between Denmark and Finland at Parken stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark, Saturday, June 12, 2021. Eriksen collapsed on the pitch and received medical assistance before being taken to hospital. (Wolfgang Rattay/Pool via AP)

Denmark team doctor reveals Eriksen 'was gone' after suffering cardiac arrest

Football
US President Joe Biden (L) and French President Emmanuel Macron attend a plenary session during the G7 summit in Carbis Bay, southern England. AP

G7 summit leaders back drive to vaccinate world by the end 2022

World
The Lebanese pound has lost 90% of its value since late 2019. Reuters

Lebanese pound drops to new low of 15,150 per dollar

Economy
Robots will serve bottled water at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. SPA

A Hajj like no other: the technology making the 2021 pilgrimage possible

Saudi Arabia
Mauritius is reopening to vaccinated tourists from July 15. Unsplash / Rummin Amin

Mauritius reopening this summer to vaccinated travellers

Travel
Most Read
Beyond the Headlines
Members of Kataib Hezbollah, one of the most powerful Iran-backed militias in Iraq, take part in a parade in Baghdad to mark Quds Day on May 6, 2021. Reuters

Beyond The Headlines: How will Mustafa Al Kadhimi rein in Iraq's militias?
Vaccine passports could raise ethical issues. Alamy

Beyond the Headlines: Are vaccine passports necessary or discriminatory?
A demonstrator wears a cap in the colours of the palestinian flag during a pro-Palestinian protest in Berlin on May 19, 2021. Thousands of demonstrators marched waving Palestinian flags and shouting pro-Palestine slogans as Israel and the Palestinians were mired in their worst conflict in years. / AFP / John MACDOUGALL

Beyond the Headlines: Are Palestinians being censored by social media?
Palestinians inspect damage to buildings in Al Saftawi street northern Gaza City. Getty

Beyond the Headlines: What led to the clashes between Israel and Palestine?
The first image of Mars taken by the UAE's Hope probe, which arrived to the planet on February 9. EPA

Beyond the Headlines: What Mars missions mean for humanity
mRNA vaccines have already proven themselves effective against Covid-19. Reuters 

How mRNA Covid-19 vaccines could mean HIV cures and anti-cancer jabs
Vials labelled "Moderna, AstraZeneca, Pfizer - Biontech, Johnson&Johnson, Sputnik V coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine" are seen in this illustration picture taken May 2, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Beyond the Headlines: How Covid-19 mRNA research could cure HIV and cancer
Funeral pyres of Covid-19 victims burn in an area converted for mass cremation in New Delhi, India. AP

Beyond the Headlines: how did India's Covid crisis get so big?
The Carlsbad Desalination plant in California uses reverse osmosis to convert seawater into drinkable water. Bloomberg via Getty Images

Beyond the Headlines: can desalination solve the world's water worries?
The UAE's Hope Consortium delivers Covid-19 vaccine doses across the world. Hope Consortium

Beyond the Headlines: How Abu Dhabi’s Hope Consortium is helping to vaccinate the world
FILE PHOTO: A vial of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is seen at a vaccination center, amid the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Ronquieres, Belgium April 6, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

Beyond the Headlines: Is the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine safe?
TOPSHOT - This satellite imagery released by Maxar Technologies shows a close up overview of the MV Ever Given container ship and tugboats in the Suez Canal on March 29, 2021. The MV Ever Given was refloated and the Suez Canal reopened on March 29, 2021, sparking relief almost a week after the huge container ship got stuck during a sandstorm and blocked a major artery for global trade. AFP correspondents observed tugboat crews sounding their foghorns in celebration after the Ever Given, a cargo megaship the length of four football fields, was dislodged from the banks of the Suez. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS / AFP / Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies / - / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Beyond the Headlines: how to stop ships getting stuck in the Suez