Chinese researchers have revealed a new technology that could soon enable drones to charge mid-flight using high-powered lasers.

The scientists built a prototype of the system using a model of a drone and attached a receiver that works similarly to a solar cell. Fixed to the underside of the wing, the receiver successfully converted the energy from the laser beam into electricity to power the aircraft’s propellers.

"Previous studies largely focused on the materials or the device itself," study senior author Jianhua Han, a researcher at the Civil Aviation University of China, said in a statement. "We wanted to think beyond the laboratory, to how the system could actually be integrated into an aircraft, cooled during operation, and made compatible with flight. It isn’t just a materials science problem; it’s an engineering one."