In some embodiments, an aircraft includes a flying frame having an airframe, a propulsion system attached to the airframe and a flight control system operably associated with the propulsion system wherein, the flying frame has a vertical takeoff and landing mode and a forward flight mode. A pod assembly is selectively attachable to the flying frame such that the flying frame is rotatable about the pod assembly wherein, the pod assembly remains in a generally horizontal attitude during vertical takeoff and landing, forward flight and transitions therebetween.

An object identification and collection method is disclosed. The method includes receiving a pick-up path that identifies a route in which to guide an object-collection system over a target geographical area to pick up objects, determining a current location of the object-collection system relative to the pick-up path, and guiding the object-collection system along the pick-up path over the target geographical area based on the current location. The method further includes capturing images in a direction of movement of the object-collection system along the pick-up path, identifying a target object in the images; tracking movement of the target object through the images, determining that the target object is within range of an object picker assembly on the object-collection system based on the tracked movement of the target object, and instructing the object picker assembly to pick up the target object.

The present invention provides a fruit harvesting, dilution and/or pruning system comprising: (a) a computerized system for mapping an orchard or a map of trees position and their contour in a plantation; (b) a management system for autonomous unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV) fleet management for harvesting, diluting or pruning fruits; and a method for UAV autonomous harvesting, dilution and/or pruning of an orchard.

According to at least one exemplary embodiment, a method, system and apparatus for an aircraft may be shown and described. An exemplary embodiment may be an autonomous aircraft which can vertically takeoff and land (VTOL). The VTOL aircraft may have a modular pod which carries a removable payload. The entire VTOL aircraft may be portable. An exemplary embodiment may fit into a standard sized freight container. A propulsion system may be based on distributed electric propulsion. An exemplary embodiment may implement variable pitch propellers and collective pitch variation.

Systems and methods are provided for imposing physical actions, by endpoints, based on activities by users. One such method includes imposing a physical actions via a drone, by an endpoint associated with the drone, based on an activity undertaken by a user. The method includes receiving, by a computing device, an activity message including data indicative of an activity of a user and retrieving at least on rule from a data structure based on the data indicative of the activity where the at least one rule includes a physical action for said activity of the user. The method then includes identifying, by the computing device, the physical action from the at least one rule and transmitting, by the computing device, an order for the physical action to an endpoint, whereby the endpoint commands a drone to perform the physical action.

Example implementations relate to a method of dynamically updating a transport task of a UAV. The method includes receiving, at a transport-provider computing system, an item provider request for transportation of a plurality of packages from a loading location at a given future time. The method also includes assigning, by the transport-provider computing system, a respective transport task to each of a plurality of UAVs, where the respective transport task comprises an instruction to deploy to the loading location to pick up one or more of the plurality of packages. Further, the method includes identifying, by the transport-provider system, a first package while or after a first UAV picks up the first package. Yet further, the method includes based on the identifying of the first package, providing, by the transport-provider system, a task update to the first UAV to update the respective transport task of the first UAV.

A delivery method for a traveling vehicle using a drone includes: transmitting, by an orderer, first information including position information of a vehicle to a server and providing, by the server, a position and an inventory of service providers, which correspond to the first information including the position information of the vehicle, to the orderer; requesting, by the server, service provision to the service provider; transmitting, by the service provider, second information including article preparation information to the server; transmitting, by the server, third information including a plurality pieces of receipt position information, which corresponds to the first information including the position information of the vehicle and the second information including the article preparation information, to the orderer; transmitting, by the orderer, a value selected by receiving the third information including the plurality pieces of receipt position information to the server; transmitting, by the server, the selected value to a selected service provider; loading, by the selected service provider, an article of the orderer on a drone and instructing the drone to move to correspond to the third information including the plurality pieces of receipt position information; and receiving, by the orderer, the ordered article.

A system to provide navigation solutions for vehicle landing guidance comprises onboard aiding sensors, an IMU, a radar altimeter, a map database, and a navigation system including a navigation filter that outputs estimated kinematic state statistics for the vehicle. An onboard processor inputs horizontal and vertical position statistics from the navigation filter into the map database, and computes an estimated ground/object height, ground/object velocity, ground/object acceleration, and error statistics thereof, based on terrain and object map data. The processer includes a radar altimeter inertial vertical loop (RIVL) filter that determines relative vertical acceleration based on a difference between vehicle vertical acceleration and ground/object vertical acceleration; determines relative vertical velocity based on a difference between vehicle vertical velocity and ground/object vertical velocity; performs consistency checks on the relative vertical acceleration and relative vertical velocity; and outputs estimated vehicle vertical position and vertical velocity statistics for compensation of the navigation filter outputs.

This disclosure describes an aerial vehicle, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”), which includes a plurality of maneuverability propulsion mechanisms that enable the aerial vehicle to move in any of the six degrees of freedom (surge, sway, heave, pitch, yaw, and roll). The aerial vehicle may also include a lifting propulsion mechanism that operates to generate a force sufficient to maintain the aerial vehicle at an altitude.

A method of delivering heavy payload using an autonomous UAV able to deliver supply by way of airdrop with more precision and at a lower cost. The UAV is equipped with two movable wing systems that rotate from a stowed position to a deployed position upon jettison of the UAV from a mothership. The UAV can be controlled remotely or it can operate autonomously and the movable wings can include ailerons to effectuate flight control of the UAV. The UAV can be reusable or can be an expendable UAV.