College of Engineering

A team of researchers from the Department of Mechanical Engineering successfully conducted a hydrogen fuel cell-powered multi-rotor drone. The drone is powered by a Proton Exchange Membrane hydrogen fuel cell (PEMFC) and is able to maintain steady hover and forward flight. The test flight was conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of using a hydrogen fuel cell in multi-rotor drones. Fuel cell-powered multi-rotor drones are capable of flying for many hours as compared to the traditional battery-powered drones with flight endurance of 15 to 20 minutes. Hydrogen fuel cells create electricity by decomposing hydrogen while producing water as exhaust. Fuel cells are attractive as power systems because of their high energy density, which allows longer endurance. With the current fuel cell technology, fuel cells can power drones, as demonstrated by the test flight, to provide a low cost alternative to many services.