Abstract: A technique for user interaction with an autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is described. In an example embodiment, perception inputs from one or more sensor devices are processed to build a shared virtual environment that is representative of a physical environment. The sensor devices used to generate perception inputs can include image capture devices onboard an autonomous aerial vehicle that is in flight through the physical environment. The shared virtual environment can provide a continually updated representation of the physical environment which is accessible to multiple network-connected devices, including multiple UAVs and multiple mobile computing devices. The shared virtual environment can be used, for example, to display visual augmentations at network-connected user devices and guide autonomous navigation by the UAV.

Abstract: Sports and fitness applications for an autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) are described. In an example embodiment, a UAV can be configured to track a human subject using perception inputs from one or more onboard sensors. The perception inputs can be utilized to generate values for various performance metrics associated with the activity of the human subject. In some embodiments, the perception inputs can be utilized to autonomously maneuver the UAV to lead the human subject to satisfy a performance goal. The UAV can also be configured to autonomously capture images of a sporting event and/or make rule determinations while officiating a sporting event.

Abstract: A technique is introduced for autonomous landing by an aerial vehicle. In some embodiments, the introduced technique includes processing a sensor data such as images captured by onboard cameras to generate a ground map comprising multiple cells. A suitable footprint, comprising a subset of the multiple cells in the ground map that satisfy one or more landing criteria, is selected and control commands are generated to cause the aerial vehicle to autonomously land on an area corresponding to the footprint. In some embodiments, the introduced technique involves a geometric smart landing process to select a relatively flat area on the ground for landing. In some embodiments, the introduced technique involves a semantic smart landing process where semantic information regarding detected objects is incorporated into the ground map.

Abstract: A graphical user interface (GUI) for controlling the flight of an aircraft such as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is described. In example embodiments, the GUI includes a view of a physical environment from the perspective of the aircraft as well as various interactive elements through which a user can interact. The interactive elements presented in the GUI and the way in which user interaction with such elements is interpreted can depend on user selection from multiple available control modes. In some embodiments, user interaction with the GUI is interpreted based on a selected control mode and translated into behavioral objectives that are processed, along with other behavioral objectives, by a motion planner to maneuver the aircraft.