An aircraft landing gear having a shock absorbing strut and a shortening mechanism coupled between an elongate beam and a shortening portion of a shock absorber. The shortening mechanism is arranged such that when the elongate beam is at a first position due to a first extension state of the retraction actuator the shortening mechanism is in a locked condition in which it inhibits axial movement of the shortening portion within the strut element in the first direction axial direction, and as the retraction actuator changes in extension state from the first extension state towards a second extension state, the retraction actuator moves the elongate beam which in turn causes the shortening mechanism to move the shortening portion within the strut element in the first axial direction to shorten the shock absorbing strut.

A shrink mechanism for use with a landing gear of an aircraft. The landing gear includes an outer cylinder rotatably coupled to a frame of an aircraft about a trunnion axis of rotation and a shock strut assembly movably coupled to the outer cylinder so as to reciprocate along a longitudinal axis of the outer cylinder. The shrink mechanism incudes a first shrink link member pivotally coupled to the outer cylinder, a second shrink link member coupling the first shrink link member to the shock strut assembly, a crank member pivotally coupled to the outer cylinder, a drive member coupling the crank member to a walking beam of a landing gear retract mechanism, and a driven member coupling the crank member to the first shrink link member.

A landing gear of an aircraft having an upper portion intended to be joined to a structure of the aircraft and a lower portion provided with a first and second axle, the first axle being provided with a braked wheel and the second axle being provided with a motorised wheel, includes a first actuator that moves one of the axles between remote and close positions with respect to the upper portion while the other axle is kept stationary with respect to the upper portion. In one of the remote and close positions, and the wheels on the axles are simultaneously in contact with a running surface while, in the other position, each wheel on the second axle is at a distance from said running surface.

A center biased actuator having an outer cylinder, a slave cylinder linearly transposed within the outer cylinder, a rod assembly with a piston linearly transposed within the slave cylinder and a rod extending from the outer cylinder, one or more first dynamic seals arranged to act on a sidewall of the rod to inhibit hydraulic fluid leaking from the outer cylinder, one or more second dynamic seals arranged to act on a sidewall of the slave cylinder or an inner surface of the outer cylinder to inhibit hydraulic fluid leaking from the outer cylinder, and a gas chamber comprising a sealed expandable chamber containing gas. The expandable chamber is arranged to act on hydraulic fluid within the center biased actuator to bias the center biased actuator to assume an intermediate condition which lies between a compressed condition and an extended condition.

Aspects relate to systems and methods for controlling landing gear of an aircraft. An exemplary system includes a nose gear located at a nose of the aircraft, where the nose gear includes a nose piston configured to allow for displacement of a nose wheel relative the aircraft, a main gear located aft of the nose gear, where the main gear includes a main piston configured to allow for displacement of a main wheel relative the aircraft, a hydraulic circuit in fluidic communication with each of the nose piston and the main piston, and a compliant element in fluidic communication with the hydraulic circuit and configured to provide a compliant response at one or both of the nose piston and the main piston.

An insect-like jumping-flying robot is provided, which includes a flying module, a driving module and biomimetic bouncing legs. The flying module provides flying power via a propeller and a miniature model airplane motor, and front wings and rear wings provide lift, and moment required for attitude change. The driving module provides power with high power density via a brushless motor and is provided with two stages of deceleration to amplify the torque provided by the brushless motor. The first stage of deceleration is performed by a synchronous wheel set, and the second stage of deceleration is performed by a gear set. A driving push rod is used to transmit the power provided by the brushless motor to the biomimetic bouncing legs.

An aerial vehicle includes a body and a wireless charging receiver pad connected to the body, whereby the aerial vehicle is configured to be wirelessly charged when parked above a wireless charging transmitter pad. The aerial vehicle includes landing gear connected to the body and extending underneath the body. The landing gear is configured for actuation to control the location of the receiver pad with respect to the transmitter pad.

An aircraft having a fuselage and a front landing gear; both sides of the rear bottom of the fuselage are fixedly connected with the rear landing gear; one end of the front landing gear is rotatably connected to the front bottom of the fuselage. When the front landing gear rotates to the first position, the second position and the third position, the connecting line between the end of the front landing gear away from the fuselage and the end of the rear landing gear away from the fuselage intersects with the plane, where the fuselage is located, on the side close to the front of the fuselage, parallel to and intersect on the side close to the rear of the fuselage.

A coupled landing gear apparatus for an aircraft including at least a nose gear disposed forward of a neutral point of an aircraft by a first distance and at least a main gear disposed aft of the neutral point of the aircraft by a second distance. The at least a nose gear and the at least a main gear are in communication with one another.

The invention relates to a propulsion device comprising a platform, a thrust unit, support means arranged to hold and support the thrust unit, integrally cooperating with the platform via one or more suitable mechanical connections, projecting means, integrally cooperating via suitable mechanical connections with the platform, a central foot, passing through the centre of inertia of the propulsion device and integrally cooperating via a suitable mechanical connection at its proximal end with the platform. In order to enable a landing of said propulsion device on receiving surfaces having relatively small dimensions with respect to the propulsion device and/or moving surfaces, the projecting means and the central foot are mutually arranged so that the central foot can provide the first contact between the device and a surface receiving the device.