Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed to house a vehicle, including a first container leg disposed on a first corner of a first container, a second container leg disposed on a second corner of the first container, a third container leg disposed on a third corner of the first container, a fourth container leg disposed on a fourth corner of the first container, at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth container legs each having an upper portion with a ramped receiving slot and a lower portion with a first ramped foot, and wherein the ramped receiving slot is to receive a protrusion associated with a second ramped foot of a second container different from the first container.

Embodiments herein describe a reconfigurable UAV to allow for the deployment of a subsurface sensor. The UAV includes a rotor assembly that is slidably coupled to a landing base. The rotor assembly includes a plurality of rotors and a ring circumscribing the rotors. Upon landing, the rotor assembly rotates in a first direction with respect to the landing base, which reduces a spacing between the rotor assembly and the ground and drives a sensor coupled to the rotor assembly into the ground. To remove the sensor from the ground, the rotor assembly rotates in a second direction to increase the spacing between the rotor assembly and the ground. The ring and/or the landing base may include interlocking features such as helical threads that are utilized to translate a rotational motion of the rotor assembly into a linear translation of the rotor assembly along the length of the landing base.

An autonomous drone system is provided. The autonomous drone system may comprise a drone station for automatically connecting a drone to the station for recharging. The automatic connection comprises determining a position of the drone on a platform of the station, rotating the platform based on the determined position, positioning an arm of the station in line with a connection port of the drone, and extending the arm towards the drone for connecting an end of the arm to the connection port of the drone.

UAV airways system generally are disclosed. Such UAV airway systems may comprise UAV cargo transportation systems and UAV surveillance and monitoring systems. Such systems preferably overlay and are commensurate with a system of high-voltage power transmission lines of high-voltage transmission system, and electric field actuated (EFA) generators preferably are utilized in UAVs that travel along the transmission lines, in UAV charging stations located along the transmission lines, or in both. Each EFA generator represents a power supply and comprises first and second electrodes separated and electrically insulated from each other for enabling a differential in voltage at the first and second electrodes resulting from a differential in electric field strength experienced by the first and second electrodes arising from the power transmission lines of the high-voltage transmission system.

A ground station for aerial vehicles including a protective casing; at least one charging mechanism; and an extendable landing pad. The extended landing pad is operable to transition between a closed configuration having dimensions suitable to be contained within said protective casing, and an open configuration having dimensions suitable to land the aerial vehicle.

An order fulfillment facility with a delivery system is disclosed having plurality of mobile robots with containers to bring customer orders and/or power supply device/s to UAV/s for final delivery. UAV leaves the discharged power supply devices that are received in empty container and transported to storage area for replenishment and diagnostic checks. Order fulfillment operations along with power supply device charging and monitoring is performed to achieve timely delivery of customer orders.

An order fulfillment facility with a delivery system is disclosed having plurality of mobile robots with containers to bring customer orders and/or power supply device/s to UAV/s for final delivery. UAV leaves the discharged power supply devices that are received in empty container and transported to storage area for replenishment and diagnostic checks. Order fulfillment operations along with power supply device charging and monitoring is performed to achieve timely delivery of customer orders.

An unmanned vehicle module can include, in some aspects, a landing platform including a landing area for receiving an unmanned vehicle, wherein the landing area includes a predetermined charging region; a first charging plate; a second charging plate, wherein the first charging plate and the second charging plate are positioned in the predetermined charging region; an electrical energy storage device for connecting electrically with the first charging plate and with the second charging plate; and an unmanned vehicle alignment mechanism configured to move the unmanned vehicle into the predetermined charging region; wherein the unmanned vehicle alignment mechanism includes a first beam, a second beam, a third beam, a fourth beam, and an actuation device for actuating at least two of the first beam, the second beam, the third beam, and the fourth beam to push the unmanned vehicle into the charging region.

Various embodiments of the present technology generally relate to unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) scale rendered analysis, orthomosaic, and 3D mapping and landing platform systems. More specifically, some embodiments relate to systems, methods, and means for the collection and processing of images captured during a UAV flight sequence. In some embodiments, the UAV landing platform retrieves flight information and initial map information over a unidirectional virtual private network from a multitenant cloud-based scheduling application. The UAV landing platform sends the initial map information to a UAV over a WiFi, Bluetooth, or radio frequency network and initiates a drone flight sequence once the drone flight sequence has been approved by a local user. The UAV landing platform receives property image data from a UAV after a UAV flight sequence has ended and transmits the received property image data back to the cloud application.

A highly safe drone is provided. A remote controller and a drone are connected to each other through a network and cooperate to operate. The drone includes a flight control unit, a flight start command reception unit receiving a flight start command from a user, a drone determination unit determining a configuration of the drone itself, an external environment determination unit determining an external environment of the drone. The drone system has a plurality of states including a takeoff diagnosis state and satisfies a condition transitioning to another state. The takeoff diagnosis state includes a drone determination state where the drone determination unit determines the configuration of the drone itself and an external environment determination state where the external environment determination unit determines the external environment. The drone system makes the drone to takeoff after transitioning to the takeoff diagnosis state upon receiving the flight start command.