LaserMotive Marks Five Years as Leading Pioneer of Wireless Power via Laser

Gary Mortimer

Seattle, Wash. (February 29, 2012) – LaserMotive, an independent R&D company specializing in laser power beaming and the only successful entrant and winner of the NASA-sponsored Power Beaming Challenge, marks its five-year anniversary this month as a leading pioneer in the emerging field of laser power beaming. During this time, the company has set a variety of firsts in the advancement of wireless power, including setting more than half a dozen world records for laser-powered flight – the most by any public or private organization.

LaserMotive has developed a wireless power system to transfer energy over long distances using laser light, creating an endless source of power for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), one of the largest growth sectors in the aerospace and defense industries. LaserMotive has used the technology to set its world records for laser powered flight, including the longest duration of any type of beamed-energy flight.

Among the company’s technology achievements are:

Only team to meet the challenge of the NASA-sponsored Power Beaming Competition, more than doubling the minimum speed requirement (November 2009)
Blueprint for creating the first endless power system for unmanned aerial vehicles. (April 2010)
World’s record for longest tethered flight (August 2010)
The longest beamed-energy powered flight on record at 12 hours, 26 minutes and 56.9 seconds (October 2010)
Longest hovering flight duration for an untethered electric vehicle: Limited only by the venue; the Ascending Technologies Pelican quadrocopter and the LaserMotive power system were both capable of continuing indefinitely (October 2010)

Endurance record for any VTOL aircraft in its weight class (October 2010)

Among LaserMotive’s corporate achievements during this time are:

NASA 2009 Power Beaming Challenge – Level 1 winner, receiving a prize of nearly $1 million (November 2009)
Honored by NASA for its achievements in laser power beaming in Washington DC ceremony (February 2010)
Finalist in the Northwest Entrepreneur Network’s First Look Forum (October 2010)
LaserMotive Co-Founders Named Among 2010 Top Innovators of the Year by Seattle Business Magazine (October 2010)
Only private entity invited to have a display booth at NASA Day on the Hill (June 2011)
Selected as a Top 10 Defense Energy Technology Solution by the Clean Technology and Sustainable Industries Organization (CTSI) in conjunction with DoD (August 2011)
Received investment by Space Angels Network, a national network of seed- and early-stage investors focused on aerospace-related ventures (September 2011)
Contract to work on NASA “Ride The Light” game changing space technology project for future missions (October 2011)

About LaserMotive

Headquartered in Kent, Wash., LaserMotive is a privately-held R&D company specializing in wireless power via laser beam for commercial applications. The company was co-founded in 2007 by Dr. Jordin Kare, one of the world’s foremost experts on laser propulsion, and Tom Nugent, former Research Director for LiftPort Group. Its industry partners include some of the leading companies in aerospace and lasers, including The Boeing Company, DILAS, MS Kennedy, Ophir Spiricon, Zaber Technologies, and In-Tec. For more information on LaserMotive, please visit the company website at www.lasermotive.com.