A robot includes a housing including a first shell and a second shell and having a first configuration and a second configuration, a rack disposed in an inner cavity of the housing, a telescopic assembly disposed on the rack and connected between the first shell and the second shell, and a rotary wing assembly disposed on the rack and having a folded configuration and a flight configuration. The rotary wing assembly includes: a folding arm with one end rotatably connected to the rack, a rotary wing, and a tilting arm connected between the rotary wing and the folding arm, the tilting arm and the rotary wing are extended to an outside of the housing to be adapted to drive the robot to fly in the flight configuration, and the tilting arm is rotatable relative to the folding arm to adjust a rotation direction of the rotary wing.

A hybrid VTOL/high speed aircraft may comprise systems and functions for in flight configuration changes from high lift helicopter or VTOL mode to fixed or swing-wing high speed aircraft mode to accommodate a variety of functions or missions.

An aircraft includes an airframe having a fixed-wing section and a plurality of articulated electric rotors, at least some of which are variable-position rotors having different operating configurations based on rotor position. A first operating configuration is a vertical-flight configuration in which the rotors generate primarily vertical thrust for vertical flight, and a second operating configuration is a horizontal-flight configuration in which the rotors generate primarily horizontal thrust for horizontal fixed-wing flight. Control circuitry independently controls rotor thrust and rotor orientation of the variable-position rotors to provide thrust-vectoring maneuvering. The fixed-wing section may employ removable wing panels so the aircraft can be deployed both in fixed-wing and rotorcraft configurations for different missions.

An aerial vehicle is includes a wing, first and second rotors, and a movement sensor. The first and second multicopter rotors are rotatably coupled to the wing, the first multicopter rotor is rotatable relative to the wing about a first lateral axis, and the second multicopter rotor is rotatable relative to the wing about a second lateral axis. Each multicopter rotor is coupled to each other multicopter rotor, wherein the multicopter rotors are restricted to collective synchronous rotation relative to the wing between a multicopter configuration and a fixed-wing configuration. The movement sensor is coupled to the multicopter rotors, wherein the movement sensor is positioned to rotate relative to the wing when the multicopter rotors rotate relative to the wing between the multicopter and fixed-wing configurations.

Apparatus for installing equipment at a remote location includes a gripper that is releasably coupled to a controller. The gripper includes a first grip member and a second grip member. The second grip member is pivotally joined to the first grip member and moveable between an open position and a closed position. The gripper also includes a gripper coupler secured to the first and second grip members and operable to engage a control coupler of the controller to releasably mount the gripper to the controller. The gripper also includes a transmission assembly with a toothed track mounted to the second grip member and a round gear mounted to the first grip member, the round gear meshed with the toothed track and the transmission assembly positioned to be mechanically engaged by the control coupler whereby the control coupler is operable to mechanically drive the round gear to move the second grip member between the open and closed positions.

Various embodiments include methods, devices, and systems of transporting a payload using a robotic vehicle. Various embodiments may include determining whether a payload is securely held by the robotic vehicle, and taking a corrective action in response to determining that the payload is not securely held by the robotic vehicle.

Various embodiments include methods, devices, and systems of transporting a payload using a robotic vehicle. The methods may determine whether a payload has separated from the robotic vehicle and take a corrective action in response to determining that the payload is not securely held by the robotic vehicle.

The present invention, in the field of aviation, is a Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) vehicle comprising fuselage, vertical tail, four tilting wings, electric generator which uses liquid fuel, rechargeable electric energy storage devices, sensors comprising air flow sensors and an actuation and feedback control system. The four tilting wings may rotate, independently one from the other and in a controlled way, around two axes parallel to the pitch axis, one of these axis is in front of the center of gravity of the vehicle and the other behind it. All the four wings provide positive lift during forward flight. There is at least one electric motor in each wing which drives at least one thrust generator. The thrust generators wind streams interact with all the vehicle lifting wings during vertical take off and landing to reduce the possibility to stall at low vehicle speed. The thrust generators may provide a combined thrust higher than the aircraft weight; the power required to drive the electric motors comes from the electric generator and the additional power required to provide a thrust higher than the aircraft weight comes from rechargeable electric energy storage devices such as batteries or supercapacitors. An active feedback system allows to control the rotational speed of each thrust generators and the tilt angles of each wing and the rudder on the basis of given flight inputs such as aircraft direction and speed.

This disclosure describes a system and method for determining the center of gravity of a payload engaged by an automated aerial vehicle and adjusting components of the automated aerial vehicle and/or the engagement location with the payload so that the center of gravity of the payload is within a defined position with respect to the center of gravity of the automated aerial vehicle. Adjusting the center of gravity to be within a defined position improves the efficiency, maneuverability and safety of the automated aerial vehicle. In some implementations, the stability of the payload may also be determined to ensure that the center of gravity does not change or shift during transport due to movement of an item of the payload.

The Lopsided Payload Carriage Gimbal in all its embodiments allow Aerial Vehicles and Water-borne vehicles to carry payloads far from the vehicle Geometric Center without significant travel of the vehicle's overall Center of Gravity. Large travel of the CG limits vehicle's performance or renders it inoperable. The embodiments rely on the interaction of the payload and the counter balancing weight through the payload link 18, balancing link 10 main link 14 and battery pylon 8 to substantially reduce the torque generated by the payload in a lopsided position. The embodiments also allow the vehicle carrying the payload to change thrust direction agilely. Finally, the embodiment acts as a mechanical stabilization device for the payload as well. This invention is adaptable to all forms of hover-capable aerial vehicles as well as water-borne vehicles