Google Acquires Kite-Power Generator

[looney]

 

News is a few days old but i didn't hear a lot about it and i thought is was cool:

Google has acquired a US company that generates power using turbines mounted on tethered kites or wings. Makani Power will become part of Google X – the secretive research and development arm of the search giant. The deal comes as Makani carries out the first fully autonomous flights of robot kites bearing its power-generating propellers. Google has not said how much it paid to acquire Makani, but it has invested $15m (£9.9m) in the company previously.

So this is what they bought:

 

Rather than use fixed turbines to generate power, Makani has been experimenting with “flying wings” adorned with several smaller turbines that act as propellers as the craft takes off.

The current prototype is 30KW, and they hope to go up to 600KW in the future.

 

 

Maybe they need electricity for their WIFI blimp? (LINK TO NEWS ARTICLE)

 

 

 

Source: Slashdot, sUAS News