Abstract: An aircraft defining an upright orientation and an inverted orientation, a ground station; and a control system for remotely controlling the flight of the aircraft. The ground station has an auto-land function that causes the aircraft to invert, stall, and controllably land in the inverted orientation to protect a payload and a rudder extending down from the aircraft. In the upright orientation, the ground station depicts the view from a first aircraft camera. When switching to the inverted orientation: (1) the ground station depicts the view from a second aircraft camera, (2) the aircraft switches the colors of red and green wing lights, extends the ailerons to act as inverted flaps, and (3) the control system adapts a ground station controller for the inverted orientation. The aircraft landing gear is an expanded polypropylene pad located above the wing when the aircraft is in the upright orientation.

Abstract: An aircraft defining an upright orientation and an inverted orientation, a ground station; and a control system for remotely controlling the flight of the aircraft. The ground station has an auto-land function that causes the aircraft to invert, stall, and controllably land in the inverted orientation to protect a payload and a rudder extending down from the aircraft. In the upright orientation, the ground station depicts the view from a first aircraft camera. When switching to the inverted orientation: (1) the ground station depicts the view from a second aircraft camera, (2) the aircraft switches the colors of red and green wing lights, extends the ailerons to act as inverted flaps, and (3) the control system adapts a ground station controller for the inverted orientation. The aircraft landing gear is an expanded polypropylene pad located above the wing when the aircraft is in the upright orientation.

Abstract: A quadrotor UAV including ruggedized, integral-battery, load-bearing body, two arms on the load-bearing body, each arm having two rotors, a control module mounted on the load-bearing body, a payload module mounted on the control module, and skids configured as landing gear. The two arms are replaceable with arms having wheels for ground vehicle use, with arms having floats and props for water-surface use, and with arms having pitch-controlled props for underwater use. The control module is configured to operate as an unmanned aerial vehicle, an unmanned ground vehicle, an unmanned (water) surface vehicle, and an unmanned underwater vehicle, depending on the type of arms that are attached.

Abstract: An aircraft defining an upright orientation and an inverted orientation, a ground station; and a control system for remotely controlling the flight of the aircraft. The ground station has an auto-land function that causes the aircraft to invert, stall, and controllably land in the inverted orientation to protect a payload and a rudder extending down from the aircraft. In the upright orientation, the ground station depicts the view from a first aircraft camera. When switching to the inverted orientation: (1) the ground station depicts the view from a second aircraft camera, (2) the aircraft switches the colors of red and green wing lights, extends the ailerons to act as inverted flaps, and (3) the control system adapts a ground station controller for the inverted orientation. The aircraft landing gear is an expanded polypropylene pad located above the wing when the aircraft is in the upright orientation.

Abstract: Liquid dispensing assemblies including adhesive anchoring assemblies configured to adhere to a support surface external to a device such as a vehicle. An air vehicle includes (a) a fluid adhesive container assembly detachably attached to the air vehicle, wherein the fluid adhesive container assembly comprises: (i) an adhesive container comprising fluid adhesive; and (ii) one or more fibers, wherein the one or more fibers are configured, or a brush of fibers, or a fabric of fibers, is configured to conduct the fluid adhesive and to structurally support an adhesive bond between the one or more fibers and a surface; and (b) means for dispensing the fluid adhesive from the fluid adhesive container, to the one or more fibers.

Abstract: An aircraft defining an upright orientation and an inverted orientation, a ground station; and a control system for remotely controlling the flight of the aircraft. The ground station has an auto-land function that causes the aircraft to invert, stall, and controllably land in the inverted orientation to protect a payload and a rudder extending down from the aircraft. In the upright orientation, the ground station depicts the view from a first aircraft camera. When switching to the inverted orientation: (1) the ground station depicts the view from a second aircraft camera, (2) the aircraft switches the colors of red and green wing lights, extends the ailerons to act as inverted flaps, and (3) the control system adapts a ground station controller for the inverted orientation. The aircraft landing gear is an expanded polypropylene pad located above the wing when the aircraft is in the upright orientation.

Abstract: An aircraft defining an upright orientation and an inverted orientation, a ground station; and a control system for remotely controlling the flight of the aircraft. The ground station has an auto-land function that causes the aircraft to invert, stall, and controllably land in the inverted orientation to protect a payload and a rudder extending down from the aircraft. In the upright orientation, the ground station depicts the view from a first aircraft camera. When switching to the inverted orientation: (1) the ground station depicts the view from a second aircraft camera, (2) the aircraft switches the colors of red and green wing lights, extends the ailerons to act as inverted flaps, and (3) the control system adapts a ground station controller for the inverted orientation. The aircraft landing gear is an expanded polypropylene pad located above the wing when the aircraft is in the upright orientation.

Abstract: An aircraft defining an upright orientation and an inverted orientation, a ground station; and a control system for remotely controlling the flight of the aircraft. The ground station has an auto-land function that causes the aircraft to invert, stall, and controllably land in the inverted orientation to protect a payload and a rudder extending down from the aircraft. In the upright orientation, the ground station depicts the view from a first aircraft camera. When switching to the inverted orientation: (1) the ground station depicts the view from a second aircraft camera, (2) the aircraft switches the colors of red and green wing lights, extends the ailerons to act as inverted flaps, and (3) the control system adapts a ground station controller for the inverted orientation. The aircraft landing gear is an expanded polypropylene pad located above the wing when the aircraft is in the upright orientation.

Abstract: Liquid dispensing assemblies including adhesive anchoring assemblies configured to adhere to a support surface external to a device such as a vehicle. An air vehicle includes (a) a fluid adhesive container assembly detachably attached to the air vehicle, wherein the fluid adhesive container assembly comprises: (i) an adhesive container comprising fluid adhesive; and (ii) one or more fibers, wherein the one or more fibers are configured, or a brush of fibers, or a fabric of fibers, is configured to conduct the fluid adhesive and to structurally support an adhesive bond between the one or more fibers and a surface; and (b) means for dispensing the fluid adhesive from the fluid adhesive container, to the one or more fibers.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for determining system/device configuration and setting a mode of operation based on the determined configuration. An air vehicle processor: (a) receives a component information set of at least one external component; (b) determine a mode of operation, by the processor having a current mode of operation setting, based on the received component information and at least one of: an initial mode of operation setting and the current mode of operation setting; (c) determines whether all of the one or more received component information sets match a configuration requirement; (d) transitions to a flight-ready status if the determination is a conjunctive match; and (e) transition to a reset status if the determination is not a conjunctive match.

Abstract: Liquid dispensing assemblies including adhesive anchoring assemblies configured to adhere to a support surface external to a device such as a vehicle. An air vehicle includes (a) a fluid adhesive container assembly detachably attached to the air vehicle, wherein the fluid adhesive container assembly comprises: (i) an adhesive container comprising fluid adhesive; and (ii) one or more fibers, wherein the one or more fibers are configured, or a brush of fibers, or a fabric of fibers, is configured to conduct the fluid adhesive and to structurally support an adhesive bond between the one or more fibers and a surface; and (b) means for dispensing the fluid adhesive from the fluid adhesive container, to the one or more fibers.

Abstract: Embodiments include an assembly comprising: (a) a camera support structure comprising: a masthead disposed on the distal end of a mast wherein the masthead is configured to receive an imaging element; where a proximal end of the mast rotatably engaging an azimuth-elevation joint assembly wherein the azimuth-elevation joint assembly comprises a first angular actuator of a first rotational degree-of-freedom and a second angular actuator of a second rotational degree of freedom; and (b) a camera support structure housing comprising an aperture and a hatch wherein the hatch is resiliently biased to close the aperture; and wherein the camera support structure is configured to overcome the hatch resilient bias by at least one of: the release of a pin restraining a loaded spring and a rotational actuation of the mast via at least one of the first angular actuator and the second angular actuator.

Abstract: Liquid dispensing assemblies including adhesive anchoring assemblies configured to adhere to a support surface external to a device such as a vehicle. An air vehicle includes (a) a fluid adhesive container assembly detachably attached to the air vehicle, wherein the fluid adhesive container assembly comprises: (i) an adhesive container comprising fluid adhesive; and (ii) one or more fibers, wherein the one or more fibers are configured, or a brush of fibers, or a fabric of fibers, is configured to conduct the fluid adhesive and to structurally support an adhesive bond between the one or more fibers and a surface; and (b) means for dispensing the fluid adhesive from the fluid adhesive container, to the one or more fibers.

Abstract: Embodiments include an assembly comprising: (a) a camera support structure comprising: a masthead disposed on the distal end of a mast wherein the masthead is configured to receive an imaging element; where a proximal end of the mast rotatably engaging an azimuth-elevation joint assembly wherein the azimuth-elevation joint assembly comprises a first angular actuator of a first rotational degree-of-freedom and a second angular actuator of a second rotational degree of freedom; and (b) a camera support structure housing comprising an aperture and a hatch wherein the hatch is resiliently biased to close the aperture; and wherein the camera support structure is configured to overcome the hatch resilient bias by at least one of: the release of a pin restraining a loaded spring and a rotational actuation of the mast via at least one of the first angular actuator and the second angular actuator.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for determining system/device configuration and setting a mode of operation based on the determined configuration. An air vehicle processor: (a) receives a component information 14 set of at least one external component; (b) determine a mode of operation, by the processor having a current mode of operation setting, based on the received component information and at least one of: an initial mode of operation setting and the current mode of operation setting; (c) determines whether all of the one or more received component information sets match a configuration requirement; (d) transitions to a flight-ready status if the determination is a conjunctive match; and (e) transition to a reset status if the determination is not a conjunctive match.

Abstract: An ultraviolet curing liquid coating composition which, when cured with ultraviolet light in the presence of an appropriate photoinitiator, provides a coating adapted for the coating of optical glass fiber. This coating composition comprises as the essential component, an acrylate-terminated polyurethane oligomer based on a polyfunctional core which is at least trifunctional and which supports one branch for each functionality in the core. Each of the branches leads to an acrylate-functional terminal group, with there being from about 150 to about 2500 units of molecular weight in each branch between the trifunctional core and the acrylate-functional terminal group. Depending primarily upon the molecular weight of the branches, one can provide coating compositions for buffer coat, single coat or topcoat use.

Abstract: A liquid ultraviolet-curable coating composition contains at least 45% up to 95% by weight of acrylated polyurethane-based oligomer comprising at least 10%, based on the total weight of polymerizable material, of an acrylated polyurethane-based ultraviolet-curable oligomer in which the oligomer is the reaction product of an organic diisocyanate with an polyepichlorohydrin polyether diol having a number average molecular weight of from about 1,000 to about 15,000, this reaction product being capped at each end thereof with a monohydric acrylate. At least about 5% up to 55% of the composition is a liquid acrylate-functional compound providing the coating composition with coating viscosity.