A gaming system for enabling three-dimensional game play of remote-control craft controlled by a controller, each craft including a communication system with both radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR) capabilities. The system can include a plurality of hovering remote-control flying craft each controlled by a handheld controller, and further may include at least one additional game accessory elements, such as a puck, a ground station or a gun. Each pairing of craft and controllers communicate via an RF protocol that transmits at least control communications between the controller and the craft based on pair identification information in an RF communication protocol. The craft and game-accessory elements also communicate via at least an IR protocol that communicates game-play information. Selectable pairs of craft and controllers may be assigned to different teams for playing multiplayer team games based on team identification information in the RF communication protocol.

A hovering remote-control flying craft having a molded frame assembly includes a plurality of arms extending from a center body with an electric motor and corresponding propeller on each arm. In various embodiments, the motor and propeller are mounted downward-facing at a distal portion of each arm with a motor cover over the motor. The center body can be formed of a two-piece molded structure that sandwiches a circuit board to provide structural support for the frame. The circuit board can include a plurality of tabs that facilitate mounting of wire connectors, and can also provide antennas and emitters for both IR and RF communications. In some embodiments, a removable safety ring protects the propellers from lateral contact.

A motor assembly that includes a motor having a motor casing, a rotatable shaft extending from said motor casing to a shaft length and a hub coupled to said rotatable shaft, the hub having a circumferential skid surface disposed immediately proximal to the motor casing and having a channel configured to seat a propeller, when a propeller is present, wherein a bending moment applied to the shaft through the hub results in the circumferential skid surface contacting said motor casing.

Overall efficiency and/or flight time of UAVs and Drones can be increased by adding elements containing lighter-than-air gasses; and/or by reducing and/or eliminating the power supplied to any combination of the motors to reduce overall power consumption. In an aspect the configuration of a blimp drone include at least one air cavity/chamber/container filled with lighter-than-air gasses. The 3D chambers are made from swept or extruded closed 2D geometry and are detachable from the Drone and can be transparent or camouflaged in color. To maintain control and altitude of the aircraft, lifting surfaces can be incorporated. Such lifting surfaces may include active and/or passive control surfaces to maintain flight stability. Additionally, cavities, fissures, orifices and valves may be added to the surface of the flying vehicle to gain other efficiency advantages.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for operating a multicopter experiencing a failure during flight, the multicopter comprising a body, and at least four effectors attached to the body, each operable to produce both a torque and a thrust force which can cause the multicopter to fly when not experiencing said failure. The method may comprise the step of identifying a failure wherein the failure affects the torque and/or thrust force produced by an effector, and in response to identifying a failure carrying out the following steps, (1) computing an estimate of the orientation of a primary axis of said body with respect to a predefined reference frame, wherein said primary axis is an axis about which said multicopter rotates when flying, (2) computing an estimate of the angular velocity of said multicopter, (3) controlling one or more of said at least four effectors based on said estimate of the orientation of the primary axis of said body with respect to said predefined reference frame and said estimate of the angular velocity of the multicopter. The step of controlling one or more of said at least four effectors may be performed such that (a) said one or more effectors collectively produce a torque along said primary axis and a torque perpendicular to said primary axis, wherein (i) the torque along said primary axis causes said multicopter to rotate about said primary axis, and (ii) the torque perpendicular to said primary axis causes said multicopter to move such that the orientation of said primary axis converges to a target orientation with respect to said predefined reference frame, and (b) such that said one or more effectors individually produce a thrust force along said primary axis.

A driving control device for a remote controlled helicopter includes an rpm detection unit that detects an rpm of a main rotor, a gyro sensor that detects angular velocities of control axes including roll, pitch and yaw axes, and a control unit that generates a control signal of a control actuator for controlling movements of the control axes based on the angular velocities detected by the gyro sensor and a steering signal sent from a transmitter. The control unit has information on the gyro sensitivities of the control axes and information on a set rpm of the main rotor which are preset for each of the flight states of the remote controlled helicopter, and corrects the gyro sensitivities based on a difference between the set rpm corresponding to a selected flight state among the flight states and an rpm of the main rotor detected by the rpm detection unit.

A lighter-than-air toy drone having at least one balloon that is inflated with a lift gas. The drone has a first conduit progresses along a first axis and a second conduit that progresses along a perpendicular second axis. At least one motorized propeller is provided that can selectively moving air through the first conduit and the second conduit to propel the drone. The motorized propeller can also generate a gyroscopic force that acts to rotate said at least one balloon for directional steering.

Disclosed here are systems for detachable airframe components including detachable nose cones, propeller assemblies and motors. In some example embodiments, the assemblies include a nose cone with a connection receiver, a motor assembly with a rotatable section, where the rotatable section includes torque arms configured to secure with the nose cone connection receiver, and a propeller assembly, configured to connect to the nose cone.

A rotary aircraft includes a cover, a driving shaft in the cover, an electric control board on the cover, and a flight assembly mounted on the driving shaft and coupled electrically with the electrical control board, a driving assemble mounted on the flight assembly and coupled electrically with the electrical control board, connected with the driving shaft and driving it to rotate so as to rotate the cover, and a light bar mounted on the cover and coupled electrically with the electrical control board, used for displaying a presetting pattern or text, which achieves enlightening education and improves enjoyment of the flight toy and satisfies the demands of the users.

A motor assembly that includes a motor having a motor casing, a rotatable shaft extending from said motor casing to a shaft length and a hub coupled to said rotatable shaft, the hub having a circumferential skid surface disposed immediately proximal to the motor casing and having a channel configured to seat a propeller, when a propeller is present, wherein a bending moment applied to the shaft through the hub results in the circumferential skid surface contacting said motor casing.