Abstract: A gyroscopically stabilised legged robot including: a body; a number of legs coupled to the body and configured for providing legged locomotion of the robot across a surface in use; an orientation sensor for detecting an angular orientation of the body; a control moment gyroscope mounted on the robot, the control moment gyroscope including a rotor that spins around a rotor spin axis in use, and a tilting mechanism for supporting the rotor relative to the robot, the tilting mechanism being configured to rotate the rotor spin axis about two gyroscope rotation axes to thereby generate respective gyroscopic reaction torques; and a gyroscope controller configured to control operation of the tilting mechanism based at least in part on the detected angular orientation of the body, such that gyroscopic reaction torques are generated to at least partially stabilise the angular orientation of the body during the legged locomotion of the robot.

Abstract: A safety rotor system for an aircraft including a flight rotor that is rotationally driven by a drive, the system including: a safety rotor that is rotationally driven during rotation of the flight rotor, the safety rotor including one or more safety members traversing a path outward of the flight rotor so that an object approaching the flight rotor through the path contacts one of the safety members before contacting the flight rotor, wherein the safety rotor decelerates when one of the safety members contacts an object; a sensor for detecting rotation of the safety rotor; and a controller configured to: determine, using the sensor, a deceleration of the safety rotor corresponding to one of the safety members contacting an object; and cause the rotation of the flight rotor to cease in response to detecting the deceleration of the safety rotor.

Abstract: A safety rotor system for an aircraft including a flight rotor that is rotationally driven by a drive, the system including: a safety rotor that is rotationally driven during rotation of the flight rotor, the safety rotor including one or more safety members traversing a path outward of the flight rotor so that an object approaching the flight rotor through the path contacts one of the safety members before contacting the flight rotor, wherein the safety rotor decelerates when one of the safety members contacts an object; a sensor for detecting rotation of the safety rotor; and a controller configured to: determine, using the sensor, a deceleration of the safety rotor corresponding to one of the safety members contacting an object; and cause the rotation of the flight rotor to cease in response to detecting the deceleration of the safety rotor.