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Google is Killing Its Solar-Powered Internet Drone Program (businessinsider.com)

Posted by msmash on from the didn't-work-out dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Google's "moonshot" X division is ending its Titan drone program, which planned to use solar-powered drones to beam internet down to earth. Google bought Titan Aerospace in 2014. The company was developing solar-powered drones that could fly for several days at a time and take images of earth or beam down internet. When Google reorganized into Alphabet in 2015, Titan was folded into X, the Alphabet division that focuses on wild tech projects in hopes of stumbling on the next big thing.

5 of 62 comments (clear)

  1. Re:took a while; by tsqr · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Actually, building a solar airplane that can stay aloft as long as their business model demands, is a significant challenge. Reliability of servo actuators and electric motors is a major issue. Designing a structure light enough to minimize the power required to climb to very high altitudes, but robust enough to survive winds/gusts during ascent and descent, is a major issue.

  2. No, *physics* killed it by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Google just finally recognized it.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    1. Re:No, *physics* killed it by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yes, good old balloons make much more sense if you just need to get up high and stay there. The whole "solar drones" thing reeks of a hype project combining two trendy technologies that are way inferior to a non-trendy, old-fashioned solution.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  3. How to clean... you almost had it by SuperKendall · · Score: 3, Funny

    Cleaning is important because it keeps the airfoil surfaces aerodynamically sound. Even birds groom themselves to stay in good shape

    So the answer is obvious - we bio-engineer birds that clean themselves - but ALSO clean the drones!

    Or we develop a drone with a tongue, basically go with whichever idea can get grants or Google pay money.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  4. Re:Won't produce revenue for Google's customers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    More likely the regulatory/insurance climate is insane. I would bet that the money required to get the proper radio frequencies, get government approval for a drone holding pattern high enough over an urban area and insurance to cover any accidents would bankrupt a small country. There are most definitely also some technical hurtles but I would wager those are relatively minor in comparison. I think Musk summed it up when he was discussing the challenges of starting SpaceX, I believe he said something to the effect that the rocket science was easy, cutting through the red tape took a majority of their time/money. And that is for an industry that has existed for decades.