Facebook's Solar-Drone Provides Internet With Lasers: This Is Project Aquila!
Facebook has developed a large solar-powered drone which will eventually "beam internet to remote parts of the world"!
It's called Project Aquila and ultimately, there will be a fleet of unmanned drones staying in flight for "months at a time".
The project aims to improve the world's access to internet, especially in remote areas.
"For Facebook, Aquila is more than a proof of concept. It’s a linchpin of the company’s plan to bring the internet to all 7 billion people on Earth, regardless of their income or where they live. Doing so will lift millions of people out of poverty, Zuckerberg says, improving education and health globally along the way. But it will also enable the next generation of Facebook’s services in artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and more. This next era of tech will require higher bandwidth and more reliable connections than we have today, and drones can help deliver both. The road to a VR version of Facebook begins where Aquila leaves the runway."-The Verge
What is project Aquila about?
The main purpose of project Aquila is to provide internet access to remote areas.
The drone will be flying 60,000-90,000 feet in the air, and provide internet access below using laser technology.
There will be several drones that keep in contact so that there is widespread internet coverage below.
“When Aquila is ready, it will be a fleet of solar-powered planes that will beam internet connectivity across the world. Today, more than half the world’s population — 4 billion people — still can’t access the internet. One day, Aquila will help change that.”-Mark Zuckerberg
Specifications
The drone has a wingspan comparable to a Boeing 767, but it's made from carbon fibers which are extremely lightweight - this makes the total weight even less than a smart car.
The limited weight is important because the drone is supposed to be in the air for up to 3 months at a time, only using solar power.
During the day, the solar panels collect the sunlight and store it for the evening hours.
The aircraft will move with the relatively slow speed of 129 km/h due to efficiency reasons, and its cruising altitude will be around 18,000 meters.
Test flights
The project had been announced in 2015, but Aquila only completed 2 test flights until now.
The first one resulted in a structural failure - but the 2nd test flight was a success!
It occured at the end of may, with a total flight time of 1 hour and 46 minutes and an altitude of over 3,000 feet.
The drone climbed 2 times as fast as on the first test flight - 180 feet/minute.
Challenges
There are still several challenges to overcome until the Aquila drones will actually stay aloft for 90 days.
For example, the solar panels - during the test flights, the prototype aircrafts were only using batteries.
The manufacturers are also still working on building batteries that could sustain missions as long as 3 months.
Cost is another main factor: if Facebook really wants to deploy a whole fleet of these drones, the overall cost would have to be reduced greatly.
“We need to develop more efficient on-board power and communication systems; ensure the aircraft are resilient to structural damage to reduce maintenance costs and able to stay aloft for long periods of time to keep fleet numbers low; and minimize the amount of human supervision associated with their operation"-Andy Cox, mechanical engineer
What's your opinion about Project Aquila - futuristic innovation or unrealistic and risky?
© Sirwinchester
This is reminiscent of the midway between Houston and the first modules of the international space station when they did not yet have satellites to maintain that communication link all the time. Upvote my friend
@sirwinchester o/
..and follow me to know about Brasil >> @renantg
interesting, you're right! Thanks for your comment!
Wow this is amazing I can't believe some of the big things Facebook is getting into! Although there are still challenges with the batteries, I'm sure it's only a matter of time until they work out the kinks :) This is huge, as--in my opinion--it's extremely important to provide internet wherever possible, esp. in remote areas. Access to the internet's unlimited information should be a privilege for EVERYONE in this day and age!
Facebook doing great job but not without a purpose to bring them even more cash. Once Africa reaches the foreign markets through the internet there will be a flood of advertising and guess who's gonna earn the most? Thanks for sharing @sirwinchester
Yeah, this is a double edged sword. On one hand, bringing internet to the remainder of the non-connected world is a good thing - on the other hand, Facebook is doing this purely for their own profits, no matter what kind of philanthropic cult mindset Zuckerburg has instilled over there.
I appreciate what Facebook has to offer, but keep it at arm's length. It is like a friend who is fun to hang out with at parties, but who annoys you when you start seeing them every day.
Exactly.
Exactly. Well said.
Good point, sadly you are right... thanks for your comment!
A cheaper alternative to launching satellites. Do I heard the words spy in the sky!
Amazing. Thanks for sharing project Aquila's info and the video.
This is a important step when it comes to making internet access a basic human right. Its very very exciting! In the not too distant future everyone will have access to the internet in some form.
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Yes, it's hard to believe that internet isn't global yet but it will soon be accessible all over the world!
I know similar story, spreding internet everywhere with baloons. Project name is but can anyone see them? Maybe it is still under development staying optimistic. Lest see whats gonna happen.
Yes I've read about that too, thanks for sharing! Very interesting!
This project has been initiated by Google , and it is really impressive . I just love these new upcoming mind blowing projects . Many more are upcoming stay tuned .
WAO! This is one of few people who really purposed their wealth to improving humanity as a whole. I commend him hugely and wish we had more of people like this on planet earth.
Solar Internet Drone! That's TRIPLE COOL men! 😀
great nice post :)
Very informative post, the applications of this technology could be really good for emergency access. Call the drone via satellite phone or something.
The laser net tech reminds me a bit of the Light internet tech (LI-FI)
which is also very promising and can offer speeds around 100times faster than WI-FI
Thanks for the great post @sirwinchester
Yes, I actually wrote a post about Li-Fi way in the past and I thought about the same thing!
Thanks for your comment!