The invention relates to a method and a system for providing an aerial display, comprising: a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, each having a light means, a data store and an identifier; at least one base station which communicates with the aerial vehicles via a first data connection; and at least one control unit which can communicate indirectly with the aerial vehicles via the base station and directly via a second data connection. The method comprises the following steps: the mission data for the aerial vehicles is automatically loaded into the data store of an aerial vehicle by means of the base station via the first data connection; the identifiers, GPS data and the system status of a plurality of the aerial vehicles are retrieved and stored; the flight paths for the aerial vehicles are calculated on the basis of the GPS data and the first target position of each of the aerial vehicles; the flight route numbers are allocated to the aerial vehicles by the control unit; and after the start the entire mission is carried out autonomously in a synchronised manner by the aerial vehicles.

Enclosures for facilitating activities in space, and associated systems and methods, are disclosed. A representative system includes a spacecraft having an enclosed interior volume (which can be formed by an inflatable membrane) and one or more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) carried by the spacecraft and positioned to deploy into the enclosed interior volume. The system can include a remote-control system to control the one or more UAVs from a terrestrial location while the spacecraft is in space. A wireless charging system can provide electrical power to the one or more UAVs. A representative method includes configuring one or more controllers to launch a first spacecraft to a first orbit, launch a second spacecraft to a second orbit, move the first spacecraft to the second orbit, dock the first spacecraft with the second spacecraft, and broadcast an event within an interior volume of the first spacecraft to a terrestrial location.

Enclosures for facilitating activities in space, and associated systems and methods, are disclosed. A representative system includes a spacecraft having an enclosed interior volume (which can be formed by an inflatable membrane) and one or more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) carried by the spacecraft and positioned to deploy into the enclosed interior volume. The system can include a remote-control system to control the one or more UAVs from a terrestrial location while the spacecraft is in space. A wireless charging system can provide electrical power to the one or more UAVs. A representative method includes configuring one or more controllers to launch a first spacecraft to a first orbit, launch a second spacecraft to a second orbit, move the first spacecraft to the second orbit, dock the first spacecraft with the second spacecraft, and broadcast an event within an interior volume of the first spacecraft to a terrestrial location.

The present invention relates to a method for controlling hand-over in a drone network. A method for controlling hand-over in a drone network that is established by a plurality of drones that constitute a formation, and controlled by a ground control station (GCS) that controls the location, configuration and mobility of each of the plurality of drones according to the present invention includes a phase via which the GCS predicts, based on previously stored control information, a drone that is to be newly deployed or transferred from another formation and allocates network connection information to the drone thus predicted; a phase via which the GCS generates a virtual routing table including the drone that is thus predicted to be deployed or transferred; a phase via which the GCS, upon actual deploying or transferring the predicted drone, changes the virtual routing table into an actual routing table; and a phase via which the GCS, upon the drone thus deployed or transferred transmitting a control message of the formation routing protocol, calibrates and optimizes the routing table.

A motor vehicle system includes a motor vehicle including an aircraft landing portion, and an actively propelled unmanned aircraft configured to be supported on the aircraft landing portion. The vehicle and aircraft are configured such that the vehicle can provide at least one of fuel and electrical energy to the aircraft while the aircraft is supported on the aircraft landing portion.

Unmanned aerial vehicles and related methods and systems are disclosed. An example unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising: a body and a propulsion source to propel the unmanned aerial vehicle during flight; and a display carried by the unmanned aerial vehicle to display a message to coordinate traffic, the display actuatable between a deployed position to enable the message to be conveyed and a stowed position in which aerodynamics of the unmanned aerial vehicle are enhanced.

The disclosed embodiments generally relate to methods, systems and apparatuses to provide ad hoc digital signage for public or private display. In certain embodiments, the disclosure provides dynamically formed digital signage. In one application, one or more drones are used to project the desired signage. In another application one or more drones are used to form a background to receive the projected image. In still another application, sensors are used to detect audience movement, line of sight or engagement level. The sensor information is then used to arrange the projecting drones or the surface-image drones to further signage presentation.

Herein is disclosed a bounding-volume based unmanned aerial vehicle illumination management system comprising one or more processors, configured to define a plurality of bounding volumes within a region of unmanned aerial vehicle flight; determine a subset of unmanned aerial vehicles within a bounding volume according to an unmanned aerial vehicle flight plan; determine a combined lighting value of the subset of unmanned aerial vehicles according to an unmanned aerial vehicle illumination plan; and determine a surface illumination corresponding to the combined lighting value of one or more bounding volumes.

An unmanned aircraft system (UAS) making use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for more than one task. The inventors discovered that an improved UAS could be provided by combining one or more of these three elements: (1) hot-swappable modular kits (e.g., a plurality of components useful in UAVs to perform particular user-selectable tasks); (2) an interconnection mechanism for each component with identification protocols that provides both a physical and a data connection; and (3) an intelligent system that interprets the identification protocols and determines the configuration for a selected task, error checking, airworthiness, and calibration. The system and associated methods for the task based drone configuration and verification reduces the possibility of task failure by an operator.

An air monitoring device includes a main body defining a volume for receiving a gas and configured to move above a ground surface. The air monitoring device further includes a camera configured to detect image data corresponding to a surrounding environment of the main body. The air monitoring device further includes a power source configured to generate mechanical power to propel the main body through the surrounding environment. The air monitoring device further includes a network access device configured to communicate with a remote device. The air monitoring device further includes a processor configured to receive the image data and to cause the network access device to transmit the image data or processed data corresponding to the image data to the remote device.