Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to address incorrectly placed items. Some systems comprise: a plurality of motorized transport units that are each configured to perform multiple different tasks at a retail shopping facility; and a central computer system configured to instruct various ones of the plurality of motorized transport units to implement at least one of the multiple different tasks relative to the retail shopping facility, receive and analyze input data detected and provided by the motorized transport units while the motorized transport units perform the at least one of the tasks, and detect and categorize each item of multiple items that are incorrectly placed within the retail shopping facility according to one of multiple different predefined categories.

Abstract: Apparatuses, components and methods are provided herein useful to provide assistance to customers and/or workers in a shopping facility. In some embodiments, a shopping facility personal assistance system comprises: a plurality of motorized transport units located in and configured to move through a shopping facility space; a plurality of user interface units, each corresponding to a respective motorized transport unit during use of the respective motorized transport unit; and a central computer system having a network interface such that the central computer system wirelessly communicates with one or both of the plurality of motorized transport units and the plurality of user interface units, wherein the central computer system is configured to control movement of the plurality of motorized transport units through the shopping facility space based at least on inputs from the plurality of user interface units.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to address incorrectly placed items. Some systems comprise: a plurality of motorized transport units that are each configured to perform multiple different tasks at a retail shopping facility; and a central computer system configured to instruct various ones of the plurality of motorized transport units to implement at least one of the multiple different tasks relative to the retail shopping facility, receive and analyze input data detected and provided by the motorized transport units while the motorized transport units perform the at least one of the tasks, and detect and categorize each item of multiple items that are incorrectly placed within the retail shopping facility according to one of multiple different predefined categories.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide systems and methods of enhancing protection of unmanned retail delivery vehicles. Some of these embodiments comprise: a plurality of unmanned delivery vehicles (UDV); a plurality of lure unmanned vehicles; and a procedure randomization system configured to randomly select a protection procedure that is not to be implemented by a first lure unmanned vehicle to enhance an attack vulnerability; and wherein a first lure vehicle control circuit of the first lure unmanned vehicle is configured to obtain a first lure route and control the first lure unmanned vehicle to travel along the first lure route while preventing the selected first protection procedure from being applied while applying at least a sub-set of the set of the plurality of protection procedures to a full capacity while the first lure unmanned vehicle travels along the first lure route.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods are provided herein for providing surveying premises of a customer. In one embodiment, a system for surveying premises of a customer comprises: an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising a three dimension (3D) scanner and an image sensor, and a control circuit comprising a communication device configured to communicate with the UAV. The control circuit being configured to: receive, from a customer, a premises location, instruct the UAV to travel to the premises location to collect a set of data, form a 3D point cloud model of the premises based on 3D data collected by the 3D scanner of the UAV, identify one or more features of the premises based on the 3D point cloud model and image data collected by the image sensor of the UAV, and generate a recommendation to the customer based on the one or more features of the premises.

Abstract: Some embodiments include a motorized transport unit providing customer assistance at a shopping facility, comprises: a transceiver; a control circuit; a motorized wheel system; a lift system; and a memory coupled to the control circuit and storing computer instructions that when executed by the control circuit cause the control circuit to: activate a motorized wheel system, while continuing to monitor location information, to position the motorized transport unit under the item container and aligned, based on the location information, relative to a frame of the item container; and activate the lift system to lift on the frame of the item container lifting a first portion of the item container such one or more wheels of the item container are lifted off of a floor while two or more other wheels of the item container remain in contact with the floor.

Abstract: Some embodiments include a track system comprising: an elevated track system comprising a series of elevated tracks that are positioned elevated above a sales floor and products distributed over at least a portion of the sales floor of a retail store, and configured such that multiple motorized transport units travel along the series of elevated tracks in traversing at least portions of the retail store.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided that provide for validating products to be delivered to customers via unmanned aerial vehicles. Each UAV includes sensors configured to detect at least one actual physical characteristic and/or actual identifying characteristic of a product being loaded into the UAV and/or being transported by the UAV to a delivery destination. The actual physical characteristic information and/or the actual identifying information detected by the sensors is compared to predefined physical characteristic information and/or predefined identifying information stored in an electronic database in order to validate that the product that is being loaded into the UAV and/or being transported by the UAV is not damaged and corresponds to the order being fulfilled. If validation of one or more products is not successful, the UAV is restricted from delivering such products to the delivery destination.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems of dispensing an insecticide to defend a crop-containing area against crop-damaging pests include an unmanned vehicle having a sensor that detects a crop-damaging pest in the crop-containing area and captures pest detection data, and an insecticide output device including at least one insecticide directed at the pest. The unmanned vehicle transmits the captured pest detection data via the network to the computing device and, in response to receipt of the captured pest detection data via the network from the unmanned vehicle, the computing device accesses an electronic database to determine an identity of the at least one pest. Based on the determined identity of the crop-damaging pest, the computing device transmits a control signal to the unmanned vehicle to cause the insecticide output device of the unmanned vehicle to dispense one or more insecticides specific to the identified crop-damaging pest.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide apparatuses and methods useful to providing control over movement of motorized transport units. In some embodiments, an apparatus providing control over movement of motorized transport units at a shopping facility comprises: a central computer system comprising: a transceiver; a control circuit; a memory coupled to the control circuit and storing computer instructions that when executed by the control circuit cause the control circuit to perform the steps of: obtain, from one or more of the communications received from the motorized transport unit, route condition information comprising information corresponding to an intended route of travel; obtain additional route condition information detected by one or more detectors external to the motorized transport unit; detect an object affecting the intended route of travel; identify an action to be taken by the motorized transport unit with respect to the detected object; and communicate one or more instructions.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems and methods are provided that limit the change in temperature and/or control a temperature of products during delivery.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided that provide for creating and monitoring predefined mission routes along air rails and non-overlapping buffer zones surrounding unmanned vehicles during travel of the unmanned vehicles along the predefined mission routes. The buffer zone may be thought of as a projected movement variation area being associated by the system to the UAV and containing four dimensions, the three positional dimensions, X, Y, and Z, along with a temporal one, time. Generally, the buffer zone will change as ambient conditions, location, and orientation of an unmanned vehicle change during travel of the unmanned vehicle along its predefined mission route.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for managing residual mobile display inventory. A system for managing a store inventory comprises a plurality of mobile modular displays, a mobile modular display inventory database, and a control circuit coupled to the mobile modular display inventory database and configured to: track, in the mobile modular display inventory database, inventory levels of mobile modular displays in a store location, detect a modular display replacement condition, cause a replacement mobile modular display to be deployed to replace the at least one mobile modular display on at a sales floor of the store location in response to detecting the modular display replacement condition, and determine a residual handling instruction selected from a plurality of residual handling methods for the residual products, and communicate the residual handling instruction to a user interface device.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods for modular compliance monitoring are provided. A system for monitoring modular compliance in a shopping space includes an image capture device, a baseline condition database, and a control circuit coupled to the image capture device and the baseline condition database. The control circuit being configured to obtain, from the image capture device, one or more images of a display module in the shopping space, retrieve, from the baseline condition database, a baseline condition model for a display space corresponding to the display module, and compare the one or more images of the display module in the shopping space and the baseline condition model to determine a modular compliance status for the display module.

Abstract: Coordinated operational control of wireless charging includes receiving a notification from a first and second drone requesting charging and responsive to determining that a sufficient amount of charging resources is not available to permit charging both drones simultaneously, prioritizing charging of drones so that at least one drone is instructed to wait. The drones may be a combination of autonomous vehicles, UAVs, and UGVs. A charging corral may be used, and navigation instructions to the charging corral may be provided to a drone. Re-orientable antennas may be used to direct RF charging power in a selected direction, for example, to track the location of a drone.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided that provide for controlling unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) experiencing emergency landings and providing emergency alerts to the predicted emergency landing locations of the UAV. Each UAV includes sensors configured to detect at least one status input associated with the UAV during flight along its flight route. Each UAV analyzes the status inputs while in flight in order to predict an emergency landing location where the UAV would land if unable to fly due to an emergency condition. The UAV is configured to transmit an alert signal to electronic devices proximate the predicted emergency landing location to notify users of the electronic devices that the unmanned aerial vehicle is going to experience an emergency landing at the predicted emergency landing location.

Abstract: In some embodiments, unmanned aerial task systems are provided that comprise multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) each comprising: a UAV control circuit; a motor; and a propulsion system coupled with the motor and configured to enable the respective UAVs to move themselves; and wherein a first UAV control circuit of a first UAV of the multiple UAVs is configured to identify a second UAV carrying a first tool system configured to perform a first function, cause a notification to be communicated to the second UAV directing the second UAV to transfer the first tool system to the first UAV, and direct a first propulsion system of the first UAV to couple with the first tool system being transferred from the second UAV.

Abstract: In some embodiments, unmanned aerial task systems are provided that comprise multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) each comprising: a UAV control circuit; a motor; and a propulsion system coupled with the motor and configured to enable the respective UAVs to move themselves; and wherein a first UAV control circuit of a first UAV of the multiple UAVs is configured to access power level data corresponding to each of the multiple UAVs, and select a second UAV of the multiple UAVs based at least in part on a power level of the second UAV relative to a threshold power level corresponding to a first task to be performed and a predicted power usage by the second UAV while utilizing a first tool system temporarily cooperated with the second UAV in performing the first task.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful for receiving and storing delivered items. In some embodiments, a secured delivery locker is described herein that can communicate with delivery vehicles and/or users. In several embodiments, an autonomous delivery vehicle can communicate with a secured delivery locker to authenticate itself. The secured delivery locker can then grant access to the delivery vehicle, such as by opening a door to an interior thereof, so that the delivery vehicle can deposit a package therein. The locker can then confirm receipt of the package and close the door. Thereafter, the locker and/or the delivery vehicle can update a system to indicate that the package was delivered.

Abstract: In some embodiments, unmanned task systems are provided that comprise multiple unmanned vehicles each comprising: a control circuit; a motor; and a propulsion system coupled with the motor and configured to enable the respective unmanned vehicles to move themselves; and wherein a first control circuit of a first unmanned vehicle of the multiple unmanned vehicles is configured to identify a second unmanned vehicle carrying a first tool system configured to perform a first function, cause a notification to be communicated to the second unmanned vehicle directing the second unmanned vehicle to transfer the first tool system to the first unmanned vehicle, and direct a first propulsion system of the first unmanned vehicle to couple with the first tool system being transferred from the second unmanned vehicle.