Abstract: An aerial vehicle comprising an airframe, an aircraft flight controller to provide an output control signal, and a planar printed circuit board positioned on the airframe. The printed circuit board may include coupled thereto a processor, a rate gyroscope, and at least three accelerometers. The processor is configured to generate an actuation signal based at least in part on a feedback signal received from at least one of said rate gyroscope and the at least three accelerometers. The processor communicates the actuation signal to said aircraft flight controller, which is configured to adjust the output control signal based on said actuation signal.

Abstract: An autonomous flapping wing aerial vehicle can have a vehicle body, a pair of flapping wings, tunable wing hinges, and elastic drive mechanisms. The tunable wing hinges can be coupled to the flapping wings. Each wing hinge can be constructed to deliver a force to a respective one of the flapping wings to alter end points of a stroke thereof. The elastic drive mechanisms can rotate the flapping wings about pivot points to produce the strokes of the flapping wings. The elastic drive mechanism can be driven at or near a resonance thereof. Alterations to the strokes of the flapping wings produced by the combined effect of the tunable wing hinges and the elastic drive mechanisms, operating in parallel, can provide steering control of the aerial vehicle.

Abstract: An aerial vehicle comprising an airframe, an aircraft flight controller to provide an output control signal, and a planar printed circuit board positioned on the airframe. The printed circuit board may include coupled thereto a processor, a rate gyroscope, and at least three accelerometers. The processor is configured to generate an actuation signal based at least in part on a feedback signal received from at least one of said rate gyroscope and the at least three accelerometers. The processor communicates the actuation signal to said aircraft flight controller, which is configured to adjust the output control signal based on said actuation signal.

Abstract: An aircraft comprising a fuselage and a plurality of wings. The fuselage may be positioned between a first wing and a second wing, wherein said first wing and said second wing each comprise (a) a plurality of sensors and (b) a plurality of flaperons. A flight controller may be configured to (1) receive measurement data from each of said plurality of sensors and, (2) independently actuate each of said plurality of flaperons.

Abstract: An autonomous flapping wing aerial vehicle can have a vehicle body, a pair of flapping wings, tunable wing hinges, and elastic drive mechanisms. The tunable wing hinges can be coupled to the flapping wings. Each wing hinge can be constructed to deliver a force to a respective one of the flapping wings to alter end points of a stroke thereof. The elastic drive mechanisms can rotate the flapping wings about pivot points to produce the strokes of the flapping wings. The elastic drive mechanism can be driven at or near a resonance thereof. Alterations to the strokes of the flapping wings produced by the combined effect of the tunable wing hinges and the elastic drive mechanisms, operating in parallel, can provide steering control of the aerial vehicle.

Abstract: A method for providing vision based hover in place to an air vehicle is disclosed. Visual information is received using one or more image sensors on the air vehicle and based on the position of the air vehicle. A number of visual displacements is computed from the visual information. One or more motion values are computed based on the visual displacements. One or more control signals are generated based on the motion values.