Pasadena Firm GuRu Wireless Partners With Korean Companies on Wirelessly Powered Drones

The collaboration aims to develop small military surveillance drones that can fly indefinitely using wireless power.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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GuRu Wireless, a Pasadena-based company that grew out of research at Caltech, has announced a partnership with two South Korean firms - electronics distributor Uniquest Corporation and AI-enabled drone developer Arion - to develop small military surveillance drones that can fly indefinitely using wireless power beamed from the ground.

Why it matters

This collaboration aims to address a key constraint in drone operations - battery life. Current small drones are limited by battery capacity, requiring frequent recovery, battery replacement or tethered operation. Wireless power could eliminate these interruptions for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

The details

The three companies plan to equip small unmanned aerial systems with GuRu's 24GHz wireless power receivers and Arion's drone platform to enable sustained flight without battery swaps, landings, or tethered connections. GuRu's technology uses phased array antennas to beam radiofrequency energy to airborne drones, allowing a single ground-based transmitter to power multiple drones simultaneously.

  • The companies plan to demonstrate the technology at Drone Show Korea 2026, to be held February 25-27 in Busan.
  • In December 2024, GuRu Wireless said it demonstrated the world's first modular, fully synchronous wireless power transfer system, powering an untethered drone from 30 feet away in its lab.
  • GuRu Wireless demonstrated dual-drone persistent flight at a defense trade show in Taipei in September 2025.

The players

GuRu Wireless

A Pasadena company that grew out of research at the California Institute of Technology, founded in 2017 by a team of Caltech electrical engineers and physicists.

Uniquest Corporation

A South Korean electronics distributor and listed company on the Korean Stock Exchange, founded in 1993 and headquartered in Seongnam, South Korea.

Arion

A South Korean AI-enabled drone developer.

Narbeh Derhacobian

CEO of GuRu Wireless.

Shin Hee-joo

Director of defense business at Uniquest Corporation.

Kim Yong-deok

CEO of Arion.

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What they’re saying

“This collaboration marks a meaningful step in advancing persistent ISR from concept to demonstrated, field-ready capability.”

— Narbeh Derhacobian, CEO of GuRu Wireless (Press release)

“When combined with Arion's proven experience delivering and validating UAS platforms for military and public-sector users, and Uniquest's leadership in local integration and defense engagement, this effort is positioned to progress from demonstration into formal operational evaluation.”

— Narbeh Derhacobian, CEO of GuRu Wireless (Press release)

“This collaboration aims to validate this capability in Korea, establish operational references, and engage both domestic and international defense stakeholders on follow-on programs.”

— Shin Hee-joo, Director of defense business at Uniquest Corporation (Press release)

“Integrating wireless power with our drone platform materially changes how persistent surveillance missions can be planned and executed.”

— Kim Yong-deok, CEO of Arion (Press release)

What’s next

The collaboration is structured in phases, beginning with live demonstrations and advancing to verification activities and pilot programs with military-related units. The companies also plan to engage defense contractors and system integrators to evaluate scalability for broader deployment.

The takeaway

This partnership between a Pasadena-based wireless power company and Korean firms showcases the potential for wirelessly powered drones to revolutionize military surveillance and reconnaissance operations by addressing the key constraint of battery life.