Futuristic drone wirelessly charging sensors across a field

Soaring to New Heights: How Drones and Wireless Power Are Revolutionizing IoT Networks

Jordan Keane in Tech & Innovation August 2025 • 5 min read.

"Unmanned aerial vehicles are changing the game for Internet of Things connectivity and energy, enhancing everything from smart cities to precision agriculture."

The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly transforming our world, connecting devices and systems in ways that promise unprecedented efficiency and convenience. From smart cities optimizing traffic flow to precision agriculture monitoring crop health, IoT's potential is vast. However, a significant challenge lies in powering the remote sensors that form the backbone of these networks. Traditional batteries are often impractical due to their limited lifespan and the high costs and logistical hurdles associated with replacing them, particularly in harsh or inaccessible environments.

Enter the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or drone, equipped with wireless power capabilities. This innovative approach offers a dynamic solution to the energy problem, allowing for on-demand charging of sensors in the field. Instead of relying on fixed power sources or frequent battery replacements, drones can deliver energy wirelessly to IoT devices, extending their operational life and expanding the possibilities for remote monitoring and data collection. This technology also addresses the cost issues of deploying multiple Hybrid Access Points in locations where sensors are sparsely distributed.

Imagine a network of environmental sensors scattered across a vast agricultural landscape, each relaying critical data about soil conditions, temperature, and humidity. With wireless-powered drones, these sensors can operate continuously, providing farmers with real-time insights to optimize irrigation, reduce fertilizer use, and improve crop yields. This is just one example of how UAV-assisted IoT networks are poised to revolutionize various industries.

The Power of Full-Duplex Wireless Charging with Drones

Futuristic drone wirelessly charging sensors across a field

One of the most exciting advancements in this field is the use of full-duplex wireless power transfer. Traditional wireless charging methods require devices to switch between energy harvesting and data transmission, limiting efficiency. Full-duplex systems, however, allow for simultaneous energy transfer and data communication, maximizing the utility of each drone visit. Think of it as a super-efficient refueling and data download all-in-one service for your IoT devices.

Researchers are actively exploring ways to optimize these UAV-assisted wireless-powered IoT networks. The goal is to maximize the amount of data collected while minimizing the drone's flight time and energy consumption. This involves sophisticated algorithms that determine the optimal hovering locations and charging durations for each sensor.

Here are the primary advantages of using full-duplex wireless charging in UAV-powered IoT networks:

Increased Efficiency: Simultaneous energy transfer and data communication.
Extended Sensor Lifespan: Regular wireless charging eliminates battery replacement.
Enhanced Data Collection: Continuous operation leads to more comprehensive data.
Reduced Operational Costs: Minimizes the need for manual maintenance.

A new study investigates UAV-aided full-duplex wireless powered Internet of Things (IoT) networks, where a UAV equipped with a full-duplex hybrid access point (HAP) serves multiple sparsely distributed energy constrained IoT sensors. The UAV hovers above each sensor for one time slot for information collection. It is assumed that the transmission range of the UAV is limited, and thus, the energy broadcasted from the UAV is only available for the next adjacent sensor to harvest in the case where the sensors are sparsely distributed. Since the full-duplex mode is adopted and no initial energy harvest time is allocated to the entire IoT networks, the coupling time relationship makes the solution of the model more challenging. Under the proposed model, we formulate two problems: sum-throughput maximization (STM) and total-hover-time minimization (THTM). For the STM problem, the optimal solution is obtained by applying convex optimization techniques. For the THTM problem, by exploiting the properties of the coupled constraints, we propose an algorithm to obtain an optimal solution.

The Future is in the Air

The development of UAV-assisted wireless-powered IoT networks is still in its early stages, but the potential is enormous. As drone technology continues to advance and wireless power transfer becomes more efficient, we can expect to see even more innovative applications emerge. From environmental monitoring and precision agriculture to disaster response and infrastructure inspection, the combination of drones and wireless power is paving the way for a more connected, efficient, and sustainable future. The key will be optimizing these systems for real-world conditions, ensuring reliable and cost-effective operation in diverse environments. The sky's the limit for this technology, and as research continues, we can expect to see it transform industries and improve lives in countless ways.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1109/ictc.2018.8539522, Alternate LINK

Title: Full-Duplex Wireless-Powered Iot Networks With Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Journal: 2018 International Conference on Information and Communication Technology Convergence (ICTC)

Publisher: IEEE

Authors: Han-Ting Ye, Xin Kang, Ying-Chang Liang, Jingon Joung

Published: 2018-10-01

Everything You Need To Know

How do unmanned aerial vehicles address the energy challenges of powering remote Internet of Things sensors?

Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, equipped with wireless power capabilities offer a solution to the energy problem of powering remote sensors in Internet of Things networks. Instead of relying on batteries, drones can deliver energy wirelessly to IoT devices, extending their operational life and enabling remote monitoring and data collection. This also helps to solve the cost issues of deploying multiple Hybrid Access Points in locations where sensors are sparsely distributed.

What is full-duplex wireless power transfer, and how does it improve the efficiency of drone-powered Internet of Things networks?

Full-duplex wireless power transfer allows devices to simultaneously harvest energy and transmit data, which improves efficiency as compared to traditional methods that require switching between these functions. This is achieved by a full-duplex hybrid access point (HAP) serving multiple sparsely distributed energy constrained IoT sensors. This maximizes the utility of each drone visit, leading to increased data collection, extended sensor lifespan, and reduced operational costs.

What are researchers doing to optimize the performance of UAV-assisted wireless-powered Internet of Things networks?

Researchers are optimizing UAV-assisted wireless-powered Internet of Things networks to maximize data collection while minimizing the drone's flight time and energy consumption. This involves developing algorithms that determine optimal hovering locations and charging durations for each sensor. The goal is to ensure reliable and cost-effective operation of these systems in diverse environments.

Within the context of UAV-aided full-duplex wireless powered Internet of Things (IoT) networks, what are sum-throughput maximization (STM) and total-hover-time minimization (THTM)?

Sum-throughput maximization aims to maximize the total amount of data collected from Internet of Things sensors. Total-hover-time minimization aims to minimize the amount of time a drone spends hovering to charge those sensors. These are optimization problems where sophisticated techniques like convex optimization are applied to achieve optimal solutions for each problem, by exploiting the properties of coupled constraints an algorithm is proposed to obtain an optimal solution.

What are the key benefits of using full-duplex wireless charging in UAV-powered Internet of Things networks, and what future applications might arise from this technology?

The advantages of using full-duplex wireless charging in UAV-powered Internet of Things networks include increased efficiency through simultaneous energy transfer and data communication, extended sensor lifespan due to regular wireless charging eliminating battery replacement, enhanced data collection from continuous operation, and reduced operational costs by minimizing the need for manual maintenance. Further development could lead to innovative applications in environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, disaster response, and infrastructure inspection.