Drones are only useful when they're in the air. And thanks to the limited charges provided by batteries, drones spend a lot of time not flying. Electric drones are often limited to just 20 minutes of air time before they have to land and get new batteries, or wait for the old batteries to charge. With hydrogen fuel cells, a commercial, electric drone could spend up to two hours hanging in the sky, be refueled almost instantly after landing, and then take another 120 minutes in the air.

This flying contraption is the result of Intelligent Energy, who attached a hydrogen fuel cell to a DJI Matrice 100 quadcopter. The fuel cell and its fuel weigh just 3.5 pounds, which is lighter than the battery it replaces. Hydrogen fuel sometimes comes with unique risks, but the National Hydrogen Association thinks those risks are overblown.