# If Drones Had ‘Claws,’ They Might Be Able To Fly For Longer

Published 2019-05-10 · Updated 2026-05-19 · Energy on MarketScale
Canonical: https://www.marketscale.com/industries/energy/if-drones-had-claws-they-might-fly-longer

> Small drones can do big jobs: Firefighters can use them to find hot spots in blazes, environmental monitors can find the source of hazardous chemical leaks. One just delivered a human kidney for transplant surgery. But it takes lots of power to spin four helicopter blades fast enough to keep a quadcopter-type drone in the air. Most…

Small drones can do big jobs: Firefighters can use them to find hot spots in blazes, environmental monitors can find the source of hazardous chemical leaks. One just [delivered a human kidney](https://www.npr.org/2019/04/30/718546541/drone-transports-human-kidney-for-transplant) for transplant surgery.

But it takes lots of power to spin four helicopter blades fast enough to keep a quadcopter-type drone in the air. Most can only stay aloft for about 30 minutes.

So an international team of roboticists is trying to extend the time a drone can stay on the job. For inspiration, they turned to birds.

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