A delivery system includes a processor programmed to construct a route so as to include predefined segments traveled by carriers configured to taxi the vehicle and charge a battery thereof such that a state of charge of the battery remains above a target for a duration of the route, and forward the route to the vehicle.

An aircraft, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle or a small-sized manned aircraft, can be hybrid-powered by fuel engines and electric motors. In various embodiments, such an aircraft can include both of rotors and fixed wings, and can perform vertical take-off and landing like a helicopter and level flight like a fixed-wing aircraft.

A walking robot includes a plurality of propulsion devices that are attached to the robot and apply thrust to the robot. At least one propulsion device of the plurality of propulsion devices is movably attached to a body unit by a movable device. The walking robot includes a control device. The control device performs posture control of changing a posture of the propulsion device attached to the body unit from a posture during walking by controlling the movable device during propulsion that is moving using the propulsion device. The control device performs direction control of a leg unit such that an extending direction of the leg unit during propulsion is opposite to a forward direction by controlling a hip joint actuator.

A walking robot includes a plurality of propulsion devices that are attached to the robot and apply thrust to the robot. At least one propulsion device of the plurality of propulsion devices is movably attached to a body unit by a movable device. The walking robot includes a control device. The control device performs posture control of changing a posture of the propulsion device attached to the body unit from a posture during walking by controlling the movable device during propulsion that is moving using the propulsion device. The control device performs direction control of a leg unit such that an extending direction of the leg unit during propulsion is opposite to a forward direction by controlling a hip joint actuator.

A quadrotor UAV including ruggedized, integral-battery, load-bearing body, two arms on the load-bearing body, each arm having two rotors, a control module mounted on the load-bearing body, a payload module mounted on the control module, and skids configured as landing gear. The two arms are replaceable with arms having wheels for ground vehicle use, with arms having floats and props for water-surface use, and with arms having pitch-controlled props for underwater use. The control module is configured to operate as an unmanned aerial vehicle, an unmanned ground vehicle, an unmanned (water) surface vehicle, and an unmanned underwater vehicle, depending on the type of arms that are attached.

An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has a fuselage, a rotor system, and a wing configured for selective positioning during flight of the UAV to a fully deployed position, a fully stowed position, and to positions between the fully deployed position and the fully stowed position.

A method of assisted takeoff of a movable object includes increasing output to an actuator that drives a propulsion unit of the movable object under a first feedback control scheme, determining whether the movable object has met a takeoff threshold, and controlling the output to the actuator using a second feedback control scheme different from the first feedback control scheme in response to the movable object having met the takeoff threshold.

A quadrotor UAV including ruggedized, integral-battery, load-bearing body, two arms on the load-bearing body, each arm having two rotors, a control module mounted on the load-bearing body, a payload module mounted on the control module, and skids configured as landing gear. The two arms are replaceable with arms having wheels for ground vehicle use, with arms having floats and props for water-surface use, and with arms having pitch-controlled props for underwater use. The control module is configured to operate as an unmanned aerial vehicle, an unmanned ground vehicle, an unmanned (water) surface vehicle, and an unmanned underwater vehicle, depending on the type of arms that are attached.

A repeatably reconfigurable robot, comprising at least two printed circuit board (PCB) rigid sections, at least one PCB flexible section coupled to the at least two PCB rigid sections, at least one wheel, hybrid wheel propeller, wheel and propeller, or hybrid wheel screw propeller rotatably coupled to at least one of the at least two PCB rigid sections and at least one actuator coupled to the at least two PCB rigid sections, wherein the at least one actuator folds and unfolds the repeatably reconfigurable robot.

An aircraft includes a fuselage and a storage bay formed in the fuselage. A wing has an outboard end, has an inboard end, is moveable relative to the fuselage in an outboard direction to an extended position, and is moveable relative to the fuselage in an inboard direction into the storage bay to a retracted position. A motor assembly is located at the outboard end of the wing and is pivotally connected to the wing. The motor assembly includes a propeller and a motor operable to rotate the propeller.