Localization and mapping systems and related techniques are provided to improve the operation of unmanned mobile sensor or survey platforms. A localization and mapping system includes a logic device configured to communicate with a single element rangefinder (SER) coupled to a mobile platform, where the SER is configured to provide ranging sensor data indicating a distance between the SER and a surface within a survey area. The logic device generates a horizontal planar occupancy map, generates a vertical planar occupancy map, and determines a three-dimensional occupancy map based on the horizontal planar occupancy map and the vertical planar occupancy map.

Improvements in secure communication using drones. The communication uses aircraft to provide a secure communication link that prevents undesirable reception. The secure link can be between two people, groups or more specific people. Optical transmission can be from laser, infrared, ultraviolet, white light or a particular wavelength of light. One or multiple aircraft to relay information between senders and receivers. The aircraft can be drones that operate within buildings or with overhead aircraft. The aircraft can intelligently follow or lead a person to maintain a line of sight. Each user can have their own tracking aircraft and the aircraft can communicate with each other using light and/or wireless communication to optimize line-of-sight between the aircraft over geographic medium. The geographic medium may include one or more terrain, air, water, and space. The object may be a soldier, vehicle, drone, or ballistic.

A method for tracking a target includes identifying a target from an image captured by an imaging device based on target type information. The imaging device is carried by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) via a carrier. The method further includes detecting a deviation of the target from a predetermined characteristic and adjusting at least one of the UAV or the carrier to reduce the deviation.

An unmanned aerial vehicle is described and includes a computer carried by the unmanned aerial vehicle to control flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle and at least one sensor. The unmanned aerial vehicle is caused to fly to a specific location within a facility, where the unmanned aerial vehicle enters a hover mode, where the unmanned aerial vehicle remains in a substantially fixed location hovering over the specific location within the facility and sends raw or processing results of sensor data from the sensor to a remote server system.

In one aspect, an agricultural surveillance platform useful to identify an operating condition of an agricultural machine may include an autonomous sensor frame structured to fly in formation with an agricultural machine and detect an operating condition of the agricultural machine. The agricultural surveillance platform may include a propulsion system to provide propulsive power to the autonomous sensor frame, and an inertial measurement unit configured to generate flight data measurements. The agricultural surveillance platform may also include an object detection sensor having a field of view sized to capture an image scene that includes the agricultural machine and generate scene data representing the image scene. The agricultural surveillance platform may also include a sensor frame controller configured to maintain a position of the autonomous sensor frame about the agricultural machine and generate autonomous sensor frame data that includes plugged data indicative of a plugged operating condition of the agricultural machine.