Upon detection of boarding of a person in a vehicle compartment of a vehicle by a vehicle information detector, a controller controls an aircraft such that the aircraft takes off from the vehicle, a photographing unit photographs a periphery of the vehicle, and a video captured by the photographing unit is transmitted to a communication unit.

A tethered unmanned aerial spraying system comprising a tether line, a power source, a plurality of supporting beams and a plurality of pairs of motorized propellers, wherein each pair of motorized propellers is supported by the ends of a corresponding supporting beam, and a control unit configured to control each motorized propeller. The tether line includes a flexible hose for delivering spraying agent and a power line, supplying electricity to the motorized propellers from the power source. At least a portion of the tether line is covered by a rigid frame and is carried thereby, wherein the supporting beams are attached to the rigid frame so as to be arranged longitudinally to one another, and the neighboring supporting beams of pairs of motorized propellers have unequal length. The system provides compact configuration of an easily deployable system having increased stability and improved lifting capabilities or energy-effectiveness.

This disclosure describes various techniques and systems for rapid low-cost access to suborbital and orbital space and accommodation of acceleration of sensitive payloads to space. For example, a distributed gas injection system may be used in a ram accelerator to launch multiple payloads through the atmosphere. Additionally or alternatively, multiple projectiles may assemble during flight through the atmosphere to transfer and/or resources to another projectile.

A high-place observation device for stably performing a fixed-point observation of a target object from a high place is provided. The high-place observation device provides a long pole which is formed to extend and contract freely and which stands on the installation surface, a rotorcraft for positioning the pole to a desirable height position by extending and contracting the pole by a floating force in a connected state, a winding mechanism which fixes and maintains the height position of the pole to the height position set by the rotorcraft, and a camera attached to the rotorcraft.

A mass transportation system provides an airborne passenger vehicle tethered to a host vehicle. The host vehicle traverses along a fixed route. The airborne passenger vehicle moves between a stowed position fixedly secured to the host vehicle and a deployed position in which the airborne passenger vehicle is flying above the host vehicle.

A system for recharging an autonomous aerial vehicle includes a base, a supply boom, a receiving basket, a centering device, and a locking device. The supply boom includes a tip and first recharger. The receiving basket has an inner wall delimiting a cavity that may receive the tip of the supply boom. The receiving basket including a second recharger that is complementary to the first recharger. One of the supply boom and the receiving basket is mounted on the autonomous aerial vehicle while the other is mounted on the base. The centering device centers the tip of the supply boom in the cavity of the receiving basket. The locking device is controlled by a controller and locks the supply boom in the receiving basket.

An environmental monitoring network has transportable, self-contained, environment sensing capsules, each capsule is water-proof, with first and second sections, the second section being hollow. Apertures in the capsule's housing enable fluid and gas entry wherein first sensor(s) disposed internal to the housing measure within the hollow, and second sensor(s) disposed external to the housing measure external to the housing. A controller and power system are connected to the first and second sensors and transmits measured data. An access entry way is on a side of the housing, enabling access to first sensors, controller system, power system, and the communication system. A central data server is configured to receive and analyze the measurement data sent from the capsules. There is a priority list of appropriate personnel for contact by the central data server in an event there is an emergency condition at a capsule location.

Methods and apparatus to guide an unmanned aerial vehicle for recovery thereof are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus includes a sensor at or proximate a tether line, the sensor to measure at least one parameter of an aircraft while the aircraft is in flight and provide sensor output corresponding to a position of the aircraft, and a transceiver to transmit data corresponding to the position to the aircraft for guiding the aircraft to engage the tether line for recovery of the aircraft or a payload carried by the aircraft.

Systems and methods are disclosed for vehicle integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UASs). Example methods may include coupling a landing dish of a vehicle integrated UAS to a ground station assembly; positioning the landing dish and the ground station assembly into a portion of a vehicle and a capping member of the vehicle integrated UAS; and coupling the landing dish to the capping member of the vehicle integrated UAS. In various embodiments, the vehicle integrated UAS may be configured to send and receive information (e.g., route information, power information, status information, etc.) between unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) associated with the UAS to device(s) of a vehicle.

A method of aligning an aircraft with a landing platform in motion comprises measuring a GPS heading with at least one GPS sensor positioned at a known location relative to the landing platform while the landing platform is in motion, measuring an orientation of the aircraft with an orientation sensor fixed relative to the aircraft, calculating an orientation of the landing platform from the GPS heading, calculating an orientation offset between the measured orientation of the aircraft and the calculated orientation of the landing platform, and changing an orientation of the aircraft or the landing platform to reduce the orientation offset. A system for landing and securing an aircraft in an enclosure, a system for disconnecting a tether from an aircraft, and a system for landing an aircraft in an enclosure are also described.