A system and methodology for launching, flying and perching on a cylindrically curved surface in an environment without human intervention. The system and methodology include an environment awareness sensor device suite having a depth camera arranged to capture and output image data and 3D point cloud data of a field of view; an asset targeting unit arranged to set an asset as a destination location for a landing; a trajectory path determiner arranged to calculate a trajectory path to the destination location; a flight controller arranged to launch and fly the autonomous aerial vehicle to the destination location according to the trajectory path; a situational status determiner arranged to, in real-time, predict a location of an object with respect to the autonomous aerial vehicle based on 3D point cloud data for the object, determine the object is the asset based on a confidence score and autonomously land on the asset.

A system and methodology for launching, flying and perching on a cylindrically curved surface in an environment without human intervention. The system and methodology include an environment awareness sensor device suite having a depth camera arranged to capture and output image data and 3D point cloud data of a field of view; an asset targeting unit arranged to set an asset as a destination location for a landing; a trajectory path determiner arranged to calculate a trajectory path to the destination location; a flight controller arranged to launch and fly the autonomous aerial vehicle to the destination location according to the trajectory path; a situational status determiner arranged to, in real-time, predict a location of an object with respect to the autonomous aerial vehicle based on 3D point cloud data for the object, determine the object is the asset based on a confidence score and autonomously land on the asset.

A drone system is configured to capture an audio stream that includes voice commands from an operator, to process the audio stream for identification of the voice commands, and to perform operations based on the identified voice commands. The drone system can identify a particular voice stream in the audio stream as an operator voice, and perform the command recognition with respect to the operator voice to the exclusion of other voice streams present in the audio stream. The drone can include a directional camera that is automatically and continuously focused on the operator to capture a video stream usable in disambiguation of different voice streams captured by the drone.

A control device operates a drone with an onboard camera. The control device obtains a current performance metric to be computed for an activity performed by an individual, determines, based on a positioning rule associated with the current performance metric, a selected relative position, SRP, between the individual and the onboard camera, identifies a reference plane of the individual, operates the drone to move the onboard camera from an initial relative position to attain the SRP in relation to the reference plane; operates the onboard camera, when in the SRP, to capture image(s) of the individual, and provides the image(s) for computation of the current performance metric for the activity performed by the individual. The SRP may be defined, by the positioning rule, to ensure that the orientation of the individual in the image(s) is relevant or optimal for the current performance metric.

A control device operates a drone with an onboard camera. The control device obtains a current performance metric to be computed for an activity performed by an individual, determines, based on a positioning rule associated with the current performance metric, a selected relative position, SRP, between the individual and the onboard camera, identifies a reference plane of the individual, operates the drone to move the onboard camera from an initial relative position to attain the SRP in relation to the reference plane; operates the onboard camera, when in the SRP, to capture image(s) of the individual, and provides the image(s) for computation of the current performance metric for the activity performed by the individual. The SRP may be defined, by the positioning rule, to ensure that the orientation of the individual in the image(s) is relevant or optimal for the current performance metric.

A handheld module including a battery, an electro-mechanical interface, and a display. The electro-mechanical interface is configured to attach the handheld module to an image capture module, wherein when attached to the image capture module, the handheld module forms a communication link to the image capture module via the electro-mechanical interface and supplies power from the battery to the image capture module via conductors of the electro-mechanical interface. The display is configured to present images captured by the image capture module and received from the image capture module via the communication link.

A handheld module including a battery, an electro-mechanical interface, and a display. The electro-mechanical interface is configured to attach the handheld module to an image capture module, wherein when attached to the image capture module, the handheld module forms a communication link to the image capture module via the electro-mechanical interface and supplies power from the battery to the image capture module via conductors of the electro-mechanical interface. The display is configured to present images captured by the image capture module and received from the image capture module via the communication link.

An autonomous robotic vehicle includes a conveyance system, a securable compartment configured to autonomously lock and unlock, a customer identification reader, at least one processor, and a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the autonomous robotic vehicle to, autonomously: travel to a destination location of a customer; capture, by the customer identification reader at the destination location, a customer identification object; determine that the captured customer identification object matches an identity of the customer; unlock the securable compartment based on the determination; capture, by the product identification reader, a product identifier; and accept a product to be returned by locking the securable compartment. The securable compartment contains a product identification reader.

An autonomous robotic vehicle includes a conveyance system, a securable compartment configured to autonomously lock and unlock, a customer identification reader, at least one processor, and a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the autonomous robotic vehicle to, autonomously: travel to a destination location of a customer; capture, by the customer identification reader at the destination location, a customer identification object; determine that the captured customer identification object matches an identity of the customer; unlock the securable compartment based on the determination; capture, by the product identification reader, a product identifier; and accept a product to be returned by locking the securable compartment. The securable compartment contains a product identification reader.

An aircraft control apparatus (20) includes a display unit (210), a display (220), an input unit (230), a selection unit (240), and a command generation unit (250). The command generation unit (250) acquires an image that has been generated by an image capture unit (350) of an aircraft (30). The display unit (210) displays, on the display (220), the image acquired by the command generation unit (250). The image includes at least one electric wire or at least one pipe that could be an inspection target. The input unit (230) displays, according to an input from a user, a line within the image displayed on the display (220). The selection unit (240) selects an inspection target by use of the line displayed by the input unit (230). The command generation unit (250) generates command information for the aircraft to photograph the inspection target while moving along the inspection target, and transmitting the command information to the aircraft (30).