An apparatus and method for continuous catapulting of unmanned aerial vehicles are disclosed, and relate to the technical field of aircraft catapulting and recovery. The apparatus consists of an unmanned aerial vehicle storage apparatus, an unmanned aerial vehicle conveying apparatus, an automatic unmanned aerial vehicle loading apparatus, tackles and a rotary tube-type multi-track unmanned aerial vehicle catapult. The present invention can increase catapulting efficiency of the unmanned aerial vehicles, and is suitable for rapidly forming a cluster of the unmanned aerial vehicles.

A drone landing method and system are provided. The method includes illuminator configured to determining a position and a speed of a vehicle based on vehicle information received via wireless communication, synchronizing the speed of the drone to the speed of the vehicle and maneuvering a drone to a position above a landing point on the vehicle based on the vehicle information, and landing the drone at the landing point of the vehicle.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a rotorcraft-assisted system and method for launching and retrieving a fixed-wing aircraft into and from free flight. The launch and retrieval system includes a modular multicopter, a storage and launch system, an anchor system, a flexible capture member, and an aircraft-landing structure. The multicopter is attachable to the fixed-wing aircraft to facilitate launching the fixed-wing aircraft into free, wing-borne flight. The storage and launch system is usable to store the multicopter (when disassembled) and to act as a launch mount for the fixed-wing aircraft by retaining the fixed-wing aircraft in a desired launch orientation. The anchor system is usable with the multicopter, the flexible capture member, and the aircraft-landing structure to retrieve the fixed-wing aircraft from free, wing-borne flight.

A system to maintain a phase difference is disclosed. Two or more aircraft fly in a continuous periodic trajectory. The system maintains a phase difference between the two or more aircraft. Telemetry information for a reference aircraft moving in a first periodic trajectory is received. A phase difference between a primary aircraft and the reference aircraft with respect to the first periodic trajectory is determined. A variance in the phase difference between the primary aircraft and the reference aircraft from the target phase difference is determined. A new trajectory for the primary aircraft that decreases the variance in the phase difference with respect to the new periodic trajectory is determined, and the primary aircraft is maneuvered to follow the new trajectory.

A base module may be used to receive and house one or more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) via one or more cavities. The base module receives commands from a manager device and identifies a flight plan that allows a UAV to execute the received commands. The base module transfers the flight plan to the UAV and frees the UAV. Once the UAV returns, the base module once again receives it. The base module then receives sensor data from the UAV from one or more sensors onboard the UAV, and optionally receives additional information describing its flight and identifying success or failure of the flight plan. The base module transmits the sensor data and optionally the additional information to a storage medium locally or remotely accessible by the manager device.

Equipment and methods that combine the use of wave powered vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones). A UAV can be launched from a wave-powered vehicle, observe another vessel, and report the results of its observation to the wave-powered vehicle, and the wave-powered vehicle can report the results of the observation to a remote location. The UAV can land on water and can then be recovered by the wave-powered vehicle.

Systems and methods are provided for autonomous robotic surgery which is preferably integrated with autonomous-assisted intraoperative real-time single modality and/or multi-modality fusion imaging/electrophysiological diagnostics. The robotic surgery systems and methods can be integrated with autonomous-assisted intraoperative body/limb positioning, and integrated with autonomous-assisted land and unmanned aerial vehicular patient transportation.

An apparatus and system for launching and/or capturing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The apparatus includes a moving substrate having an electromagnetic end effector and a UAV with a metallic strike plate to be attracted to the end effector when the electromagnet is activated. The system includes a movable robotic arm having a free end and a secured end; an electromagnetic end effector connected proximate to the free end of the robotic arm; a UAV with a metallic strike to be attracted and held to the electromagnetic end effector when the electromagnetic end effector is active; trajectory software configured to control a location of the free end of the robotic arm; and a control module for receiving input data, analyzing the data and using the trajectory software to control the location of and activate or deactivate the electromagnetic end effector. Also described are methods for launching and capturing the UAV.

A collapsible unmanned aerial vehicle has: a cylindrical structural body; a plurality of deployable mechanisms laterally distributed about the cylindrical structural body; a control unit; a portable power source; each of the plurality of deployable mechanisms comprising a lift-generating device, a pliable pylon and an actuation mechanism, the cylindrical structural body being terminally mounted to the pliable pylon, the lift-generating device being terminally mounted to the pliable pylon, the actuation mechanism being operatively integrated along the pliable pylon, the pliable pylon being selectively configured to be radially straightened from the cylindrical structural body and to arcuately collapsed into the cylindrical structural body via the actuation mechanism, the control unit and the portable power source each being electrically connected to the actuation mechanism; the control unit and the portable power source being mounted within the cylindrical structural body; and the portable power source being electrically connected to the control unit.

The present invention provides a foldable wing which comprises a wing supporting skeleton, a sliding rail, a skin supporting rib, a skin and a wing movement unit. The wing supporting skeleton comprises a horizontal beam, a longitudinal beam, a wing front edge beam, a wing trailing edge beam, a fixture connector and a sliding block, The wing supporting skeleton is a triangular girder for maintaining planar and sectional shapes of the foldable wing, supporting the skin supporting rib and the skin, and sustaining an aerodynamic load from the skin and a load of a fuselage. After the triangular girder is subjected to a force of the wing movement unit, a shape and an area of the triangular girder are changed so as to achieve folding and unfolding of the foldable wing. A rotocraft and a glider using the foldable wing are also provided.