01
Solar Photovoltaic
Primary outbound energy
Flexible perovskite skin wraps the envelope. Powers thrusters, ion heating and condensation; surplus is pushed into the reserve.
200–400 W/m² at altitude
Toroform Aerostatics
The drone is the energy loop.
A hybrid balloon-drone built as a torus: energy flows outward from a central axis, does work at the perimeter, and returns to the core. Five harvesting streams, one induction hub, indefinite station-keeping.
25 kgpayload class5 m³helium envelope22 kmceiling
Five energy-flow streams
Not subsystems. Nodes on a single circulation path — each one closing back into the toroidal induction core.
02
Rectenna RF Harvest
Ambient trickle
Embedded antenna mesh captures atmospheric RF and the ionospheric potential gradient — modest, but continuous day and night.
0.1–1 W/m² of mesh
03
Triboelectric Lungs
Passive static accumulation
The internal helium bladder expands and contracts against a charged mesh every 5–10 minutes, building charge that discharges into the coil.
5–50 kV per breath cycle
04
AWG Electrolysis
Energy in, gas out
Condensation plus electrolysis splits water into hydrogen lift and stores the remainder as adjustable ballast.
1–2 L/h per 100 W
05
Ionospheric Siphon
Variable capacitive coupling
Altitude changes vary the craft's capacitance against the sky. Slow transitions siphon charge into the induction core.
~100–120 V per meter
Toroidal flow simulator
Move the sliders and watch the loop respond: harvest, demand, and whether the circulation actually closes.
Active mode
Solar Cruise
Net +629.7 W
Inflow
Solar skin
883 W
Rectenna
6.6 W
Lungs
3.2 W
Ionosphere
4.9 W
Outflow
Hover thrust
98 W
Ion cruise
80 W
AWG
60 W
Avionics
10 W
Parasitic
20 W
24-hour state of charge
3 kWh reserve, integrated hour by hour at the current configuration.
00:0012:0023:00
The toroidal induction core
Where every stream converges and steps down into a usable low-voltage bus.
- 01
Threshold
Lung static reaches ~10 kV
- 02
Pulse
Capacitor bank releases a controlled micro-pulse
- 03
Field
Primary coil snaps a magnetic field into existence
- 04
Collapse
Secondary winding induces high-current, low-voltage output
- 05
Bus
24 V / 48 V DC to reserve and avionics
The breathing cycle
Mode A
Solar Cruise
Day
- Full solar drives thrusters and ion propulsion
- Excess solar feeds AWG water and hydrogen production
- Rectenna and lungs trickle in passively
- Surplus banked as altitude gain or payload work
Mode B
Drift & Deep Recharge
Night / low sun
- Thrusters cut to near zero at equilibrium altitude
- Lungs cycle on a 5–10 minute breathing rhythm
- Every 3–5 cycles a pulse discharges through the core
- Slow but steady recharge with no active thrust
Mode C
Thermal Shift
Storm / emergency
- Stored water is committed as ballast
- Craft descends below turbulence
- Lower gradient, but far more stable air
- Resume drift or cruise once calm returns
Toroform in flight
Four views of the craft closing its own energy loop — from solar cruise to storm descent.
Reference energy budget
25 kg payload, 5 m³ helium envelope. The night bottleneck is real: rectenna plus lungs deliver 5–20 W sustained, so the craft must drift. We size a 2–4 hour hover reserve to bridge it.
| Component | Draw | Source | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thrusters (hover) | 150 W | Solar (day) | Sufficient |
| Ion propulsion (cruise) | 80 W | Solar (day) | Sufficient |
| AWG condensation + electrolysis | 60 W | Solar (excess) | Marginal |
| Navigation & avionics | 10 W | Battery / trickle | Covered |
| Parasitic losses | ~20 W | All sources | Distributed |
| Night / low-light hold | −50 W | Rectenna + lungs | Tight |