Materials and structures for absorbing energy. The materials and structures are well suited for arresting aircraft and other vehicles, although their purposes need not be so limited. Also detailed are packaging and other solutions for maintaining system integrity, especially (but not exclusively) when foam glass or other aggregate is employed and stabilizing the location of the aggregate is desired.

Systems, devices, and methods for impacting, by a small unmanned aerial vehicle (SUAV), a net having at least three sides; and converting the kinetic energy of the SUAV into at least one of: elastic potential energy of one or more tensioned elastic cords connected to at least one corner of the net, gravitational potential energy of a frame member connected to at least one corner of the net, rotational kinetic energy of the frame member connected to at least one corner of the net, and elastic potential energy of the frame member connected to at least one corner of the net.

A multi-level (ML) fulfillment center is designed to accommodate landing and takeoff of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), possibly in an urban setting, such as in a densely populated area. Unlike traditional fulfillment centers, the ML fulfillment centers may include many levels (i.e., stories, floors, etc.) as permitted under zoning regulations for respective areas. The fulfillment center may have one or more landing locations and one or more deployment locations to accommodate UAVs, which may delivery at least some of the items from the fulfillment center to locations associated with customers.

An apparatus is provided to support aircraft with disabled landing gears. The apparatus comprises a support assembly, a hub, a shock absorber and a transport mechanism. The support assembly includes a contact component. The support assembly is rotatably connected to the hub. The shock absorber includes a first end to which the hub is rigidly connected. The transport mechanism is to move the apparatus along a ground surface. The contact component is to contact with and to support an aircraft fuselage during landing.

Provided is an apparatus for recovering and launching an unmanned aerial vehicle. The apparatus for recovering and launching the unmanned aerial vehicle includes a main body that includes a storage space in which the unmanned aerial vehicle is stored, an inclined platform that forms an inclined surface which is connected between a fixed bar fixed in the main body and a moving bar moved to an opened upper portion of the main body and collides with the unmanned aerial vehicle induced to approach a side of the main body, a band member of which one end is connected to the moving bar and the other end is rolled up in a roll shape and stored in the storage space of the main body, and a driving motor that rotationally drives a rotor circumscribed with the band member in a normal direction or reverse direction, so that the moving bar is moved with respect to the fixed bar, wherein the inclined surface is formed by unfolding the inclined platform, the unmanned aerial vehicle colliding with the inclined surface is recovered to the storage space, and then the inclined platform is folded.

A multi-level (ML) fulfillment center is designed to accommodate landing and takeoff of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), possibly in an urban setting, such as in a densely populated area. Unlike traditional fulfillment centers, the ML fulfillment centers may include many levels (i.e., stories, floors, etc.) as permitted under zoning regulations for respective areas. The fulfillment center may have one or more landing locations and one or more deployment locations to accommodate UAVs, which may delivery at least some of the items from the fulfillment center to locations associated with customers.

A landing device for landing an aircraft thereon. The landing device comprises a first group of supporting elements arranged next to each other in a first direction, each supporting element configured to support a portion of a body or a portion of a wing of the aircraft. Each supporting element is further configured to bow when loaded by the mass of the body portion or the wing portion supported by the respective supporting element.

Systems, devices, and methods for impacting, by a small unmanned aerial vehicle (SUAV), a net having at least three sides; and converting the kinetic energy of the SUAV into at least one of: elastic potential energy of one or more tensioned elastic cords connected to at least one corner of the net, gravitational potential energy of a frame member connected to at least one corner of the net, rotational kinetic energy of the frame member connected to at least one corner of the net, and elastic potential energy of the frame member connected to at least one corner of the net.

A method of slowing an aircraft overrunning a runway, including paving an area immediately beyond the end of a runway with foamed glass bodies to define a bed, covering the bed with a layer of cementitious material to define a composite bed, and crushing at least a portion of the composite bed with an oncoming aircraft, wherein crushing the at least a portion of the composite bed removes kinetic energy from the oncoming aircraft to slow the oncoming aircraft. The composite bed is generally resistant to fire.

A method of producing an arrestor bed for slowing an aircraft overrunning a runway, including paving an area immediately beyond the end of a runway with foamed glass aggregate to define a bed, and covering the bed with a layer of cementitious material to define a composite bed.