An aerial vehicle comprising: at least three support arms for interconnecting at least three motors; at least one battery module; at least one of the support arms is configured to support the at least one battery module such that the battery module forms a structural element of the support arm.

An aerial vehicle comprising: at least three support arms for interconnecting at least three motors; at least one battery module; at least one of the support arms is configured to support the at least one battery module such that the battery module forms a structural element of the support arm.

An aerial craft and sealed force vectoring flight system is disclosed. The aerial craft includes a main body hull, lift jets, a generator, an electrical re-introduction circuit, a hydraulic pump, air flow compressors, an RPM sensor, a max speed limiter hydraulic draft by-pass valve, and a battery. The electrical re-introduction circuit throttles the generator into high-velocity rotation and yields excess electrical current to then be applied to the lift jets. The hydraulic pump pulls pressurized hydraulic fluid across a preceding hydraulic drive impellor such that the pressurized hydraulic fluid returns to confinement under pneumatic pressure faster than a discharge of hydraulic fluid. The air flow compressors generate electricity that is re-introduced into the lift electric motors. The RPM sensor and max speed limiter hydraulic draft by-pass valve speed regulate the generator. The battery initially powers the generator.

An aerial craft and sealed force vectoring flight system is disclosed. The aerial craft includes a main body hull, lift jets, a generator, an electrical re-introduction circuit, a hydraulic pump, air flow compressors, an RPM sensor, a max speed limiter hydraulic draft by-pass valve, and a battery. The electrical re-introduction circuit throttles the generator into high-velocity rotation and yields excess electrical current to then be applied to the lift jets. The hydraulic pump pulls pressurized hydraulic fluid across a preceding hydraulic drive impellor such that the pressurized hydraulic fluid returns to confinement under pneumatic pressure faster than a discharge of hydraulic fluid. The air flow compressors generate electricity that is re-introduced into the lift electric motors. The RPM sensor and max speed limiter hydraulic draft by-pass valve speed regulate the generator. The battery initially powers the generator.

Various methods enable a processor of a robotic vehicle to determine when the robotic vehicle has been stolen so that a self-recovery operation may be performed. Determining whether the robotic vehicle has been stolen may include evaluating, by a processor of the robotic vehicle, unauthorized use indicia, and determining that the robotic vehicle is stolen in response to determining that unauthorized use indicia exceed a threshold. Evaluating unauthorized use indicia may include determining whether an Integrated Circuit Card Identifier of a Subscriber Identify Module matches a stored value, determining whether a paired controller is different from a usual controller, determining whether the operator's skill has changed, and evaluating one or more trust factors that are observable features of normal operation.

A transportation network is provided that utilizes autonomous vehicles (e.g., unmanned aerial vehicles) for identifying, acquiring, and transporting items between network locations without requiring human interaction. A travel path for an item through the transportation network may include a passing of the item from one autonomous vehicle to another or otherwise utilizing different autonomous vehicles for transporting the item along different path segments (e.g., between different network locations). Different possible travel paths through the transportation network may be evaluated, and a travel path for an item may be selected based on transportation factors such as travel time, cost, safety, etc., which may include consideration of information regarding current conditions (e.g., related to network congestion, inclement weather, etc.). Autonomous vehicles of different sizes, carrying capacities, travel ranges, travel speeds, etc. may be utilized for further improving the flexibility and efficiency of the system for transporting items.

This disclosure describes a configuration of an unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”) that will facilitate extended flight duration. The UAV may have any number of lifting motors. For example, the UAV may include four lifting motors (also known as a quad-copter), eight lifting motors (also known as an octo-copter), etc. Likewise, to improve the efficiency of horizontal flight, the UAV also includes a pivot assembly that may rotate about an axis from a lifting position to a thrusting position. The pivot assembly may include two or more offset motors that generate a differential force that will cause the pivot assembly to rotate between the lifting position and the thrusting position without the need for any additional motors or gears.

A propulsion system for an aerial vehicle having a wing structure operating in a wildfire environment, wherein the wing structure includes a drive extending through a top and a bottom surface of the wing structure and configured to provide a thrust through the top and bottom surface of the wing structure along a vertical axis of the aerial vehicle. The drive may be magnetohydrodynamic drive or an open Nacelle Fan assembly. The drive may be magnetohydrodynamic drive or an open Nacelle Fan assembly The Open Nacelle Propulsion Fan uses a drive mechanism with an induced magnetic field generated by an induction coil housed within the fan assembly open to the ambient environment, a counter-rotating fan assembly including a first fan rotating clockwise, and configured to adjust the pitch of the propulsion fan, thereby enabling the aerial vehicle's thrust to be vectored as determined by the command module.

A propulsion system for an aerial vehicle having a wing structure operating in a wildfire environment, wherein the wing structure includes a drive extending through a top and a bottom surface of the wing structure and configured to provide a thrust through the top and bottom surface of the wing structure along a vertical axis of the aerial vehicle. The drive may be magnetohydrodynamic drive or an open Nacelle Fan assembly. The drive may be magnetohydrodynamic drive or an open Nacelle Fan assembly The Open Nacelle Propulsion Fan uses a drive mechanism with an induced magnetic field generated by an induction coil housed within the fan assembly open to the ambient environment, a counter-rotating fan assembly including a first fan rotating clockwise, and configured to adjust the pitch of the propulsion fan, thereby enabling the aerial vehicle's thrust to be vectored as determined by the command module.

A fabric-based, soft-bodied aerial robot includes contact-reactive perching and embodied impact protection structures while remaining lightweight and streamlined. The aerial robot is operable to 1) pneumatically vary its body stiffness for collision resilience and 2) utilize a hybrid fabric-based, bistable (HFB) grasper to perform passive grasping. When compared to conventional rigid drone frames the soft-bodied aerial robot successfully demonstrates its ability to dissipate impact from head-on collisions and maintain flight stability without any structural damage. Furthermore, in dynamic perching scenarios the HFB grasper is capable to convert impact energy upon contact into firm grasp through rapid body shape conforming in less than 4 ms.