r/interestingasfuck • u/Red_Lotus_Alchemist • 2d ago

/r/all A Chinese earthquake rescue team deployed drones to light up the night and aid search and rescue operations after the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar.

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u/DeathByPetrichor 2d ago

That’s… freaking brilliant. Why has this not been done before? Tethered drone seems like a fantastic idea for increased flight duration for security or time lapses

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u/_stonedspiritv2 2d ago

It's being used in wars right now since the signal can't be jammed. Fiber optics tethered drones.

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u/MajesticBread9147 2d ago

I mean we've had wire guided missiles since the 20th century.

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u/seanular 2d ago

Honestly, wilder to me than heat seeking.

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u/Kenny741 2d ago

With the Milan launch system you can guide the rocket while it's flying due to it being tethered as well. We had a group of 30 people shoot it for the first time and nobody missed a 2m by 3m metal plate 2000m away.

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u/JohnnyFartmacher 2d ago

There is some alternate universe out there where the pigeon-controlled guided bomb worked out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pigeon

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u/FLABANGED 2d ago

Should check out beam riding missiles.

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u/Callisater 2d ago

During the Song Dynasty in China, the Fire Crow was invented, which was a kite with a gunpowder bomb attached. You could say this was the earliest version of the idea, and it was almost as old as gunpowder in warfare itself.

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u/xenelef290 2d ago

BGM-71 TOW

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u/Wakkit1988 2d ago

since the 20th century.

That is a terrible way to word this because it makes me feel old.

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u/shmodder 2d ago

The fiber cable doesn’t power the drone, though. It’s merely for data transmission.

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u/LevelBrilliant9311 2d ago

Fiber optics don't transfer power, so they don't increase flight duration.

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u/Fearless_Parking_436 2d ago

These are tethered for signal, not power. Having power up there is a bit more difficult.

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u/Kazath 2d ago

That's different though, fiber optics aren't used for power, so those drones still rely on batteries and can only be up a limited time. But yes, drones commanded by fiber optic lines can't be jammed by electronic warfare.

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u/darkroy131 2d ago

Fibre optic cables are not used to transfer electricity, as they are not conductive. They are used to control the drone, because radio jamming in Ukraine is pervasive. You need copper cables to transfer power, and they are prohibitively heavy for the drone to carry, not without sacrificing payload weight.

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u/leixiaotie 1d ago

that's crazy, fiber optics are essentially glass, that it can bend and follow a drone is amazing

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u/nertynot 2d ago

I just saw a picture on here of a tesla plugged into a generator that it was towing down the highway

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u/Wakkit1988 2d ago

Some company actually sold a gas generator that uses a tow hitch receiver, so you can charge your EV with a generator.

Also, EVs with built-in range extenders should start hitting the market in the next few years out of China. They anticipate vehicle ranges around 1000km.

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u/NotThreeFoxes 2d ago

Didn't the BMW i3 have one as an option or something? Its def not common but im almost certain there's been at least a few on the market already

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u/PCBen 2d ago

It did and I was really excited to get one one day - then they discontinued the i3 :(

I don’t think any of the replacement models have the extender anymore

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u/NotThreeFoxes 2d ago

I cant get over the bicycle tires thought, I cant imagine theres a wife selection of tires that narrow on rims that big. Its also the only vehicle I've ever seen in my career that had non preformace non M+S rated tires. Normaly we can put a customers summers on before the highway requirements lift because literaly everything is rated M+S, so the customer booking for their summers a month early didn't raise any alarms, but we had to turn them away because the tires weren't legal on the highway for another few weeks.

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u/Upset_Ant2834 2d ago

Brother that's called a hybrid and they already exist

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u/Wakkit1988 2d ago

No, it's not.

Hybrids allow the engine to directly power the vehicle.

EVs with range extenders only allow the engine to charge the battery.

There's no mechanical connection between the engine and the wheels.

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u/Upset_Ant2834 2d ago

There are different kinds of hybrids. Series hybrids are exactly what you're talking about with no connection between the engine and the wheels

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u/Wakkit1988 2d ago

The only production "series hybrid" car was the Volt. Which, again, you are missing the distinction. The engine varies the load relative to the needed output to drive the vehicle exclusively with electricity produced by the engine. This is done to eliminate the transmission and other drivetrain components so that it can be powered exclusively through a small battery and the electricity being produced. These cars can operate without a battery installed at all.

EVs with range extenders can operate exclusively with their batteries, and the engine only operates at a fixed speed to produce a constant amount of power to charge the battery. The extender produces enough power to offset the motor's consumption at cruising speed. Otherwise, it's insufficient to provide any more power to operate the vehicle.

You can try to come up with whatever you'd like, but there are distinctions to be made between the different types, whether you like it or not. A range extended EV is not a hybrid, and hybrids are not range extended EVs. It's not a hybrid unless it can operate without necessitating the need for the battery to function.

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u/photosendtrain 2d ago

Don't believe you can actually drive while charging.

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u/IBetThisIsTakenToo 2d ago

Seems like we could make this more efficient, somehow... Imagine if the generator could directly move the engine?? That could be huge!

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u/Astra_Mainn 1d ago

You just made it less efficient lol, by a solid 60% comparing the avg combustion engine efficiency vs the avg EV motor

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u/IBetThisIsTakenToo 1d ago

And the portable generator is what, 100% efficient? Come on man haha

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/nertynot 2d ago

It's rare that someone responds with something that's actually interesting, thank you

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u/LazyGandalf 2d ago

That's how many hybrids work, i.e. the engine under the hood (under most circumstances) doesn't directly drive the wheels but instead acts as a generator for the otherwise electric powertrain.

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u/turtlelore2 2d ago

What would you need it for except for emergencies like this?

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u/TheTerrasque 2d ago

Already been used for things like cleaning buildings for a while now.

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u/xenelef290 2d ago

Drones with fiber optic lines miles long are being used in Ukraine to defeat ferocious radio jamming. They are completely immune to jamming.

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u/bobbertmiller 2d ago

It's already in use. I've seen it as a flying camera, exactly as you suggested. It's brilliant for security and such. You can check on big crowds like festivals, ensure medics know what, where, how many. 

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u/sylfy 2d ago

Tethered drones have existed since forever, this is nothing new. I was part of a project where we deployed tethered drones due to regulatory requirements of the area that we were operating in, and this was at least 5 years ago.

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u/AnnualAct7213 2d ago

Why has this not been done before

It has. For decades.

Just as remote controlled quadcopters have existed for decades.

The difference is that it's only recently gotten popular and accessible enough that regular people can afford a hobby drone without breaking the bank, and thus have become aware of their existence.

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u/whaasup- 2d ago

Tethered drones are also being used to provide microwave internet connections in emergencies

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u/Battery4471 2d ago

Cable heavy. It makes no sense if you want to fly distances

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u/das_kleine_krokodil 2d ago

its is brilliant. But I feel its good for the short term until they bring in a long pole and stick it in the ground for more permanent solution.

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u/Ryhsuo 2d ago

In rescue situations like this where the first 72 hours are crucial, I think the portability is the most important part.

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u/Slothstralia 2d ago

It's sort of a mental backwards step with that sort of tech, i can see why it would be not a common thought.

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u/General_Helicopter1 2d ago

Because we have pretty decent, simpler and well proven tech in floodlights on masts with built in gensets.

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u/TazBaz 2d ago

Because the tether limits range and risks tangling in all kinds of things

It’s got its uses cases, for sure, but also significant downsides. Ukrainians are using one-shot ones with fiber optic tethers to deal with RF jamming; these SAR guys are using a (power) tether because they don’t really need this drone to go far away and they do need the power for uptime/keeping the hella bright light powered.

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u/TheDMsTome 2d ago

It is done and has been done for many years. I remember seeing police departments use this 7 years ago at least

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u/DarwinsTrousers 2d ago

Because quadcopter technology was practically nonexistent 15 years ago. What did exist was hobbyists. This is just the natural progress of innovation now that the parts are so cheap and widespread.

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u/LevelBrilliant9311 2d ago

The point of drones is to fly freely.
While this drone has some uses, pretty much the same could be achieved by a metal pole with a light.

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u/Ryhsuo 2d ago

You can carry a drone case, a 50m coil power line and a small generator on your back. I don’t see someone doing the same for a 50m retractable pole.

Remember that a lot of this tech was probably conceived on the back of the 2010 Yushan earthquake, where the sites of rescue were incredibly remote and difficult to get to.

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u/LevelBrilliant9311 2d ago

I'm not saying it doesn't have its uses. It clearly does, but the previous poster stated that "balancing poles is hard" and other reason why a pole is not working. Like they were just born and never seen a light pole in an emergency situation.

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u/ruat_caelum 2d ago

This is in use everywhere. We have huge blimps in the US that are tethered to about 1k feet up with millimeter wave radar to watch for smaller drug traffic drones, and people on foot that cross the border as well as low flying aircraft, ultra lights, and paramotors.

One broke loose and got away just last month.

https://www.cbp.gov/frontline/frontline-november-aerostats

https://apnews.com/article/border-patrol-balloon-breaks-loose-texas-449bbea9884109bdb777d6eb2ee150aa