An unmanned vehicle includes a body, a propulsion system connected to the body, a computing system connected to the body, and a display connected to an exterior of the body and electrically connected to the computing system. In addition, the computing system is configured to dynamically change the appearance of the display during operation of the unmanned vehicle.

An emergency alert system for a vehicle includes a drone system including a warning sign disposed within a body defining cavity of the vehicle and a controller. The controller is configured to, in response to a user request during a stop, launch the drone system from the cavity and specify drone position relative to the vehicle based on traffic flow around the vehicle to alert other vehicles in a vicinity of the vehicle via the warning sign regarding occurrence of the stop.

A vehicular alert system includes an autonomous aerial vehicle and a central computer. The autonomous aerial vehicle includes a processor, a display, and a detector. The processor controls a data transceiver. The detector detects one or more vehicular condition. The central computer communicates with the autonomous aerial vehicle via the data transceiver. The central computer includes a memory device. The memory device stores vehicular condition data and road condition data. The central computer communicates one of a vehicular condition or a road condition to the autonomous aerial vehicle. The processor of the autonomous aerial vehicle displays the received condition on the display.

A modular universal lightweight unmanned aerial vehicle banner display system includes a carrying case to house the components of the system and can easily accommodate additional elements. The system includes a plurality of tow scaffolds that form a fixed and rigid scaffolding configuration to be coupled to the banner. The system includes a variety of flexible rigging elements, such as nylon lines, configured to form a harness configuration to couple the tow scaffold configuration of one or a collection of assembled tow scaffolds to the unmanned aerial vehicle in single line or double line harness configurations. The system is applicable for a large variety of unmanned aerial vehicles or drones and a large variety of banners.

An aircraft includes: a plurality of rotor units each including a propeller and a motor that drives the propeller; and a shock absorber covering the entire vertical length of lateral sides of the plurality of rotor units.

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.

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.

A method for executing a flight mission by one or more unmanned aerial vehicles is disclosed. The method comprises receiving, from an unmanned aerial vehicle, a data stream containing audience location information; analyzing the audience location information to determine the presence of one or more people; receiving an instruction setting a predetermined number of people; determining whether a number of people at the location is equal to or greater than the predetermined number of people; retrieving a message data file; transmitting the message data file to the unmanned aerial vehicle; and displaying, by the unmanned aerial vehicle, the message data file on a display screen integral to the first unmanned aerial vehicle. In other embodiments, individuals may present visual information to the UAV. The system then selects a response based on the visual information presented to the UAV.

Techniques for drone device control are provided. In one example, the technique includes monitoring, by a drone device operatively coupled to a processor and allocated to a vehicle in operation, one or more conditions associated with the vehicle. The technique also includes, in response to identifying, by the drone device, a defined condition of the one or more conditions: moving, by the drone device, to a position relative to the vehicle and determined based on the defined condition; and performing, by the drone device, an indication operation determined based on the defined condition.

Techniques for drone device control are provided. In one example, the technique includes monitoring, by a drone device operatively coupled to a processor and allocated to a vehicle in operation, one or more conditions associated with the vehicle. The technique also includes, in response to identifying, by the drone device, a defined condition of the one or more conditions: moving, by the drone device, to a position relative to the vehicle and determined based on the defined condition; and performing, by the drone device, an indication operation determined based on the defined condition.