Swiss researchers of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) spin-off company LakeDiamond are developing a midair drone-charging system that would have laser beams shoot at a lab-grown diamond fitted to the drone capable of withstanding its rays, Phys reports.

The diamond, measuring only a few millimeters on each side, is both strong enough to take the beams being shot at it and capable of recharging the photovoltaic cells on the vehicle’s surface. Since this system purportedly works over long distances and poses no known threat to human beings, it could potentially change the need for grounding both civilian and military UAVs and how they’re used.

We’ve reported on similar laser-based methods before, though the synthetic diamond implementation here is certainly new. For LakeDiamond CEO Pascal Gallo, however, this particular strategy removes risk while retaining the same advantages over the work of his contemporary counterparts.

“Systems developed by other companies and labs, often for military applications, employ lasers that are more powerful and thus more dangerous for humans,” he explained. LakeDiamond currently holds the world record for longest continuous operation using a wavelength in the middle of the infrared range, delivering over 30 watts in its base. “That’s equivalent to around 10,000 laser pointers,” said Gallo.