An unmanned aerial vehicle includes a plurality of rotors, the unmanned aerial vehicle being capable of flying with a ground work machine connected to a body. The unmanned aerial vehicle includes a controller configured or programmed to control flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle, at least one parachute connected to the body or the ground work machine, and at least one airbag provided on the body or the ground work machine.

An aerial vehicle configured for operation within indoor spaces has a meshed construction with a housing defined by upper and lower sections having meshes provided above and below propellers and motors of the aerial vehicle. The aerial vehicle also includes a suite of sensors such as LIDAR sensors, time-of-flight sensors, cameras, ultrasonic sensors, or others. Meshes of the upper and lower sections include central openings along with spokes and concentric rings provided about the central openings. Meshes of the lower section have substantially larger central openings than meshes of the upper section, but feature more dense spokes or concentric rings beneath tips of the rotating propellers, which may be hinged or foldable in nature. Data captured by sensors of the aerial vehicle may be utilized for any purpose, such as to generate environment maps of an indoor space, or to monitor the indoor space for adverse conditions or events.

An aerial vehicle configured for operation within indoor spaces has a meshed construction with a housing defined by upper and lower sections having meshes provided above and below propellers and motors of the aerial vehicle. The aerial vehicle also includes a suite of sensors such as LIDAR sensors, time-of-flight sensors, cameras, ultrasonic sensors, or others. Meshes of the upper and lower sections include central openings along with spokes and concentric rings provided about the central openings. Meshes of the lower section have substantially larger central openings than meshes of the upper section, but feature more dense spokes or concentric rings beneath tips of the rotating propellers, which may be hinged or foldable in nature. Data captured by sensors of the aerial vehicle may be utilized for any purpose, such as to generate environment maps of an indoor space, or to monitor the indoor space for adverse conditions or events.

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.

An unmanned aerial device includes a body, a heat-generating assembly, and a propulsion assembly. The body has a head end, an airflow guide space, and a tail end. The head end is opposite to the tail end, and the airflow guide space is located between the head end and the tail end. The head end has an air intake, and the tail end has an exhaust vent. The airflow guide space is communicated with the air intake and the exhaust vent. The heat-generating assembly is disposed in the airflow guide space. The propulsion assembly is connected to the tail end, and the propulsion assembly is adapted to generate a propulsion airflow through the air intake, the heat-generating assembly, and the exhaust vent.

An unmanned aerial device includes a body, a heat-generating assembly, and a propulsion assembly. The body has a head end, an airflow guide space, and a tail end. The head end is opposite to the tail end, and the airflow guide space is located between the head end and the tail end. The head end has an air intake, and the tail end has an exhaust vent. The airflow guide space is communicated with the air intake and the exhaust vent. The heat-generating assembly is disposed in the airflow guide space. The propulsion assembly is connected to the tail end, and the propulsion assembly is adapted to generate a propulsion airflow through the air intake, the heat-generating assembly, and the exhaust vent.

A method for assisting the piloting of a rotary-wing aircraft, the aircraft including at least two engines, a first engine being able to be put in standby to ensure the operation of a second engine in fuel economy mode, the so-called ECO mode, a method in which, to achieve a determined number of flight hours between two overhauls by limiting the wear of the second engine in ECO mode, an engine control temperature associated with the second engine is computed in a flight computer as a function of a maximum power predefined in ECO mode of the second engine, the engine control temperature being representative of a current state of damage of the second engine and displayed on a flight screen for the attention of a pilot of the aircraft, so as to allow him to remain below the engine control temperature.

A method for assisting the piloting of a rotary-wing aircraft, the aircraft including at least two engines, a first engine being able to be put in standby to ensure the operation of a second engine in fuel economy mode, the so-called ECO mode, a method in which, to achieve a determined number of flight hours between two overhauls by limiting the wear of the second engine in ECO mode, an engine control temperature associated with the second engine is computed in a flight computer as a function of a maximum power predefined in ECO mode of the second engine, the engine control temperature being representative of a current state of damage of the second engine and displayed on a flight screen for the attention of a pilot of the aircraft, so as to allow him to remain below the engine control temperature.