Abstract: A base station is disclosed that is configured for use with a UAV. The base station includes: an enclosure with an outer housing that defines a roof section and an inner housing that is connected to the outer housing; one or more heating elements that are supported by the enclosure and which are configured to heat the roof section; one or more fiducials that are supported by the enclosure; an illumination system that is supported by the enclosure and which is configured to illuminate the one or more fiducials; and a visualization system that is supported by the enclosure.

Abstract: The automated pre-flight inspection of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) uses a UAV and a dock. The UAV includes one or more cameras, one or more sub-systems, and a frame. The dock includes one or more processors, one or more memories, and one or more sensors configured for use with an automated pre-flight inspection of the UAV while the UAV is located at the dock. The one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the one or more memories to perform the automated pre-flight inspection using the one or more sensors to produce output representing operational states of the one or more cameras, the one or more sub-systems, and one or more portions of the frame. The output is transmitted for display at a user device associated with the UAV.

Abstract: A spinal alignment system can include a rod and a plurality of uniplanar screw assemblies that include a screw, a cap, and a housing. The screw and cap can be configured such that the relative angular displacement between the screw and the cap is limited to a first limit angle in a first plane and to a second limit angle in a second plane that is perpendicular to the first plane, the second limit angle being larger than the first limit angle. The housing can be coupled to the cap and configured to maintain the cap in proximity with the head of the screw. The housing can have two elongated elements forming a U-shaped saddle. The alignment system can also include a plurality of locking cap assemblies that capture the rod within the U-shaped saddle and are tightened to fixedly couple the rod to the respective uniplanar screw assemblies.

Abstract: A method, device and system for determining whether a prior shut down of a device having a solid state non-volatile memory unit such as a flash memory unit resulted from a power loss and disorderly shut down and whether a power loss recovery procedure should be run.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for software recovery in a computing system are disclosed. Software installation is authorized, for example, by a user providing a password or a finger print or some other authorization mechanism. The software may then be installed to a flash memory drive. Write access to the flash memory drive is disabled upon completion of the software installation to the flash memory drive. The software is also installed to a system hard drive. If any files of the software installation become corrupted on the hard drive, the corrupted files may be restored from corresponding uncorrupted files of the software installation on the flash memory drive. Restoring the corrupted files may be accomplished by rebooting into a pre-boot BIOS mode and then authorizing the BIOS to remove the corrupted files and to replace them with a copy of the uncorrupted files from the flash memory drive.

Abstract: Various embodiments allow a non-volatile memory device to manage multiple process requests from an associated computing device. In at least some embodiments, a multi-threaded state machine is included in the supporting logic of the non-volatile memory device. Multiple process requests are received by the non-volatile memory device and serviced in a multi-threaded fashion.

Abstract: A method, device and system for determining whether a prior shut down of a device having a solid state non-volatile memory unit such as a flash memory unit resulted from a power loss and disorderly shut down and whether a power loss recovery procedure should be run.