A field configurable autonomous vehicle includes modular elements and attachable components. The vehicle can be assembled from these modular elements and components to meet desired mission and performance characteristics without the need to purchase specially designed vehicles for each mission. The vehicle can include a mechanisms that magnetically attach and release payloads such as cargo or ballast from the vehicle.

A payload support frame is adapted to suspend a payload from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during flight. The frame comprises at least one elongated rigid segment, at least one upper flexible segment at an upper end of the rigid segment, and at least one lower flexible segment at a lower end of the rigid segment. One or more of (a) the at least one rigid segment, (b) the at least one upper flexible segment, or (c) the at least one lower flexible segment comprise a dielectric material. The upper flexible segment is adapted to be selectively attachable, directly or indirectly, to the UAV. The lower flexible segment is adapted to be selectively attachable, directly or indirectly, to the payload.

A landing station guidance-and-security system can include an environmental cover and/or a guide-and-security bar. In some embodiments, the landing station guidance-and-security system is integrated into a parcel-receiving device. In some embodiments, the landing station guidance-and-security system is configured to attach to a parcel-receiving device. In some embodiments, the guide-and-security bar includes a precision rod. In some embodiments, a drone landing station includes: a magnetic centering mechanism configured to center a drone and/or a package; sliding dovetail doors; a plow bar; at least one roll-up door; a first storage locker; a second storage locker; and/or a solid rear door configured to block access to the second storage locker from the first storage locker when the first storage locker is being accessed by a user.

A cargo receiving facility includes a net and a transport mechanism. The net is suspended among supports. The net is configured to receive a cargo dropped from an unmanned aircraft in flight. The transport mechanism is configured to transport the cargo received by the net. The net has an elasticity corresponding to a mass of the cargo. The net has openings each having a size corresponding to a pressure of down-wash from the unmanned aircraft.

A first embodiment includes a circuit based aerial vehicle including an enclosed air duct circuit with a plurality of fans within respective fan tunnels and a plurality of rotating archway assemblies. The rotating archway assemblies may include respective cylinder casings with medial archways, actuating collars at opposing ends of the cylinder casing, and a rotational cylinder rotatable along its longitudinal axis. The actuating collars may be structured to spin their respective cylinder casings along the cylinder casing longitudinal axes thereby orienting the rotational cylinders in different positions along their medial axes.

A second embodiment includes rounded cylinder assemblies with respective bulbous cylinder casings including medial actuating collars that rotate rather than the entire cylinder casing. The actuating collars themselves are structured to spin their respective rotational cylinders along the rotational cylinder longitudinal axes to orient the rotational cylinders in different positions along their medial axes.

A system for wireless power transmission is disclosed, and includes a plurality of UAVs, each having a transfer medium reservoir, an onboard power conversion unit, a communication module, a navigation module, a power delivery interface, and at least one sensor. Each UAV is configured to interface with a transfer medium source, receive a chemical power transfer medium into the transfer medium reservoir, fly to a target area containing a power recipient having a power demand, identify and land within a landing zone, provide chemical power transfer medium to an endpoint power conversion, and evaluate at least one directive to decide what action to take based on feedback. The system also includes a fleet control system communicatively coupled to the plurality of UAVs and configured to operate the plurality of UAVs as a swarm, generate at least one directive, and distribute the directive to the communication module of each UAV.

Systems and methods to iteratively map-and-approach an urban area using flying drones. Each of the iterations includes drones flying over the urban area using terrain-following techniques in conjunction with a 3D model that was updated in previous iterations, in which flight paths are defined in conjunction with the 3D model so as to stay away of ground-related features appearing in the 3D model. As the iteration processes progresses, the model becomes increasingly accurate with additional details about the ground related features, thereby allowing the drones to safely approach the ground related features. The iterations converge into a low altitude flight over roads in the urban area, as flying at low altitudes over roads allows the drones to gather information of interest about buildings, infrastructure and assets, in which such information would be difficult to obtain using other techniques. Close proximity to ground related features allows drone delivery functions as well.

Delivery systems for aerial vehicles include a plurality of securement straps configured to secure a package during flight of an aerial vehicle, at least one retaining strap, and a release mechanism. A proximal end region of each securement strap and a first end region of the at least one retaining strap are coupled to the aerial vehicle. A distal end region of each securement strap is coupled to the release mechanism such that when the release mechanism is actuated the release mechanism releases the distal end region of at least one securement strap of the plurality of securement straps, thereby delivering the package. The release mechanism remains coupled to a second end region of the at least one retaining strap when the release mechanism is actuated such that the securement straps, release mechanism, and retaining strap all may be pulled up and away from the package after delivery.

A system for providing a universal computing node for use in a smart self-healing node centric blockchain mesh network includes one or more programmable processing components, a communications network interface for communicating over the Internet, one or more local sensors, a blockchain ledger, a data store of useful data from the local sensors, AIML processing components, specific local functions to support one or more local hardware functions, and a local data store. The one or more programmable processing components execute a set of software components within the universal computing node that include a node controller for coordinating the interaction and processing of the set of software components when generating, storing, and retrieving blockchain data records, a web interface for transmitting and receiving data between the universal computing node and one or more additional universal computing nodes and one or more servers connected to the smart self-healing node centric blockchain mesh network, the blockchain processor for generating blockchain data records to be stored within the blockchain ledger, and a sensor interface for receiving data to be stored within one or more blockchain data records.

A propeller apparatus of an air mobility includes a housing having an inner space, where multiple slits are formed along a circumferential surface of the housing to extend in a vertical direction; a driving unit having connection portions formed to match respective ones of the slits in the housing; multiple link units configured to match the respective ones of the slits in the housing, where the link units are rotatably connected to the connection portions, respectively, of the driving unit; and multiple wing units configured to be rotated in a manner of being linked with the link units, which rotate when the driving unit moves up and down, thereby being folded to or deployed from the housing. The propeller apparatus is configured to prevent an accident due to scattering of a propeller when the air mobility falls, and to improve space utilization during storage of the air mobility.