According to this invention, an aerial vehicle can be provided that reduces the effect of wind in a given direction striking its frame during flight of the aerial vehicle, thereby improving fuel consumption and stability. The aerial vehicle of this invention is equipped with a flight part including a frame to which a plurality of rotor blades including at least a propeller and a motor are connected, wherein the frame includes a right frame and a left frame extending side by side in the front-rear direction of the aerial vehicle, and at least one of the right frame and the left frame has a substantially wing-shaped portion with a leading edge located outside the aerial vehicle and a trailing edge located inside the aerial vehicle relative to a vertical center line in the frame. The substantially wing-shaped shape is a symmetrical wing shape.

According to this invention, an aerial vehicle can be provided that reduces the effect of wind in a given direction striking its frame during flight of the aerial vehicle, thereby improving fuel consumption and stability. The aerial vehicle of this invention is equipped with a flight part including a frame to which a plurality of rotor blades including at least a propeller and a motor are connected, wherein the frame includes a right frame and a left frame extending side by side in the front-rear direction of the aerial vehicle, and at least one of the right frame and the left frame has a substantially wing-shaped portion with a leading edge located outside the aerial vehicle and a trailing edge located inside the aerial vehicle relative to a vertical center line in the frame. The substantially wing-shaped shape is a symmetrical wing shape.

Described is an aerial vehicle, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), that includes a plurality of sensors, such as stereo cameras, mounted along a perimeter frame of the aerial vehicle and arranged to generate a scene that surrounds the aerial vehicle. The sensors may be mounted in or on winglets of the perimeter frame. Each of the plurality of sensors has a field of view and the plurality of optical sensors are arranged and/or oriented such that their fields of view overlap with one another throughout a continuous space that surrounds the perimeter frame. The fields of view may also include a portion of the perimeter frame or space that is adjacent to the perimeter frame.

A hovering remote-control flying craft having a molded frame assembly includes a plurality of arms extending from a center body with an electric motor and corresponding propeller on each arm. In various embodiments, the motor and propeller are mounted downward-facing at a distal portion of each arm with a motor cover over the motor. The center body can be formed of a two-piece molded structure that sandwiches a circuit board to provide structural support for the frame. The circuit board can include a plurality of tabs that facilitate mounting of wire connectors, and can also provide antennas and emitters for both IR and RF communications. In some embodiments, a removable safety ring protects the propellers from lateral contact.

A gaming system for enabling three-dimensional game play of remote-control craft controlled by a controller, each craft including a communication system with both radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR) capabilities. The system can include a plurality of hovering remote-control flying craft each controlled by a handheld controller, and further may include at least one additional game accessory elements, such as a puck, a ground station or a gun. Each pairing of craft and controllers communicate via an RF protocol that transmits at least control communications between the controller and the craft based on pair identification information in an RF communication protocol. The craft and game-accessory elements also communicate via at least an IR protocol that communicates game-play information. Selectable pairs of craft and controllers may be assigned to different teams for playing multiplayer team games based on team identification information in the RF communication protocol.

Various embodiments of a novel monocoque aerostructure quadcopter implemented as a vertical take-off and landing vehicle are described. In one example, a vertical take-off and landing vehicle includes a fuselage having a leading end positioned in a first horizontal plane and a trailing end positioned in a second horizontal plane that is vertically below the first horizontal plane. The vertical take-off and landing vehicle further includes a first arm assembly extending from the leading end of the fuselage in the first horizontal plane. The vertical take-off and landing vehicle further includes a second arm assembly extending from the trailing end of the fuselage in the second horizontal plane. The vertical take-off and landing vehicle further includes a first rotor assembly coupled to the first arm assembly and a second rotor assembly coupled to the second arm assembly.

Various embodiments of a novel monocoque aerostructure quadcopter implemented as a vertical take-off and landing vehicle are described. In one example, a vertical take-off and landing vehicle includes a fuselage having a leading end positioned in a first horizontal plane and a trailing end positioned in a second horizontal plane that is vertically below the first horizontal plane. The vertical take-off and landing vehicle further includes a first arm assembly extending from the leading end of the fuselage in the first horizontal plane. The vertical take-off and landing vehicle further includes a second arm assembly extending from the trailing end of the fuselage in the second horizontal plane. The vertical take-off and landing vehicle further includes a first rotor assembly coupled to the first arm assembly and a second rotor assembly coupled to the second arm assembly.

Eyewear configured to control an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). In one example, a user interacts with the eyewear to generate control signals that are transmitted to the UAV to control the flight path, speed, orientation, and to communicate other instructions to the UAV. An input of the eyewear is controlled by the user to control the UAV, such as a touchpad, a microphone, a head movement tracker and a camera. The user is also able to configure and customize the eyewear to send specific control signals to the UAV as a function of user actions. This includes specific head movements and head gestures of the user as a method of controlling the UAV. This allows the user to control the UAV in a more natural and convenient way.

Eyewear configured to control an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). In one example, a user interacts with the eyewear to generate control signals that are transmitted to the UAV to control the flight path, speed, orientation, and to communicate other instructions to the UAV. An input of the eyewear is controlled by the user to control the UAV, such as a touchpad, a microphone, a head movement tracker and a camera. The user is also able to configure and customize the eyewear to send specific control signals to the UAV as a function of user actions. This includes specific head movements and head gestures of the user as a method of controlling the UAV. This allows the user to control the UAV in a more natural and convenient way.

According to this invention, an aerial vehicle can be provided that reduces the effect of wind in a given direction striking its frame during flight of the aerial vehicle, thereby improving fuel consumption and stability. The aerial vehicle of this invention is equipped with a flight part including a frame to which a plurality of rotor blades including at least a propeller and a motor are connected, wherein the frame includes a right frame and a left frame extending side by side in the front-rear direction of the aerial vehicle, and at least one of the right frame and the left frame has a substantially wing-shaped portion with a leading edge located outside the aerial vehicle and a trailing edge located inside the aerial vehicle relative to a vertical center line in the frame. The substantially wing-shaped shape is a symmetrical wing shape.