Systems and methods are disclosed for providing transportation or delivery services using a fleet of mixed vehicles. A computer-implemented method of providing services using a fleet of mixed vehicles includes receiving at a server a request for a service, determining parameters for the service, selecting by the server a vehicle from a fleet of mixed vehicles to perform at least a portion of the service based on the determined parameters, and transmitting a message to the selected vehicle to perform the at least a portion of the service. The fleet of mixed vehicles includes at least two of: a semi-autonomous vehicle, a fully-autonomous vehicle, a vehicle remotely operated by a human, or a human driven vehicle.

A defrosting system includes an RF signal source, one or more electrodes proximate to a cavity within which a load to be defrosted is positioned, a transmission path between the RF signal source and the electrode(s), and an impedance matching network electrically coupled along the transmission path between the output of the RF signal source and the electrode(s). The system also includes measurement circuitry coupled to the transmission path and configured to measure one or more parameters that include voltage, current, forward signal power, reflected signal power, and S11 along the transmission path. A system controller is configured to monitor the measurements, and to modify operation of the system when a rate of change of any of the monitored parameter(s) exceeds a predetermined threshold. The impedance matching network may be a single-ended network or a double-ended network.

An autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle fleet comprising a plurality of autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles for providing an assortment of items to a customer or a potential customer after such customer or potential customer summons the one or more autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles in an unstructured open or closed environment. Each autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle comprises one or more compartments configured to contain and secure the assortment of the items to be selected once the summoned autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle arrives to a customer or potential customer.

Provided herein is an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle fleet comprising a plurality of electric autonomous vehicles for apportioned display of a media, operating autonomously and a fleet management module for coordination of the autonomous vehicle fleet. Each autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle comprising a screen configured to display the media. Activation, deactivation, brightness modification, in combination with specific media selection enables more efficient media display.

An electromagnetic cooking device is provided having a controller and a plurality of RF feeds configured to introduce electromagnetic radiation into an enclosed cavity to heat up a food load. The controller is configured to: (a) cause the generation of RF excitations at a specified frequency and phase shifts from each of the plurality of RF feeds for a predetermined time period; (b) during the predetermined time period: measure and analyze the backward power at the plurality of RF feeds to calculate efficiency, determine a coefficient of variation in the efficiency, and monitor the coefficient of variation to identify possible changes in a characteristic of the food load; and (c) repeatedly perform steps (a) and (b) until such time that a possible change is identified in a characteristic of the food load based on changes in the coefficient of variation. The characteristic may be the volume of the food load.

A method of heating a load in a cavity using microwaves wherein the microwaves provide mode fields in the cavity includes obtaining a desired temperature pattern within said cavity based on information about regions of the load. A heating pattern in the cavity is determined and comprises zones of different intensities corresponding to the desired temperature pattern. A zone of higher intensity in the determined heating pattern corresponds to a region of higher temperature in the desired temperature pattern. The method also includes controlling one or more independently controllable microwave generators or feeding ports so the mode fields form the determined heating pattern and thereby heat the load according to the desired temperature pattern.

A delivery system includes a database configured to store information of a customer where the information includes a default payment method, a communication system configured to communicate with an autonomous vehicle and with a device of the customer, where the device includes a display screen having a button to summon an autonomous vehicle, at least one processor, and a memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the delivery system to receive an indication via the communication system that the button on the device of the customer has been clicked, and instruct the autonomous vehicle to travel to a location of the customer.

Provided herein is an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle fleet comprising a plurality of electric autonomous vehicle for apportioned display of a media, operating autonomously and a fleet management module for coordination of the autonomous vehicle fleet. Each autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle comprising a screen configured to display the media. Activation, deactivation, brightness modification, in combination with specific media selection enables more efficient media display.

A microwave heating apparatus and a method of operating a microwave heating apparatus are provided. The microwave heating apparatus comprises a load receiving cavity, at least one microwave source, a plurality of feeding ports connected to the microwave source and the cavity for feeding microwaves to the cavity, a measuring unit and a control unit. The measuring unit measures, for at least one frequency or within a frequency range, the power of microwaves reflected back to the microwave source for at least part of the plurality of feeding ports. The control unit selects at least one of the feeding ports based on the measured powers of the reflected microwaves in order to feed microwaves to the cavity via the at least one selected feeding port during operation of the microwave heating apparatus at the at least one frequency or within the frequency range.

Provided herein is an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle fleet comprising a plurality of autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles coordinated by a fleet management module. Each vehicle may be configured to receive a modular unit, wherein the modular unit is configured to secure a consumer product.