Flying Claw Opens Doors, May Replace Doormen

From the Nightmare files, a flying claw has been patented. A drone is only as good as the clear space it’s flying through. When flying indoors, if the drone encounters an obstacle, game over, right?

Not so, says Robert Marcus of Lafayette, CA. In his issued patent for a “Rotocraft”, Mr. Marcus has patented a flying machine with six degrees of freedom, for the purpose of opening doors, or carrying other tools or weapons.

Here is some relevant text: “UAVs are used primarily for reconnaissance. Conventional UAVs are generally capable of aiming sensors during level flight or hovering. However, UAVs can not aim precisely during complex maneuvers, for example, when pitch, roll, and yaw are changed simultaneously. Further, conventional UAVs are generally not capable of performing mechanical operations, such as opening doors, that may be particularly useful during indoor surveillance.

To overcome certain problems described above, a novel aerial vehicle is equipped with separate and independently controlled vertical lifters and horizontal thrusters. In certain embodiments, hardware and control functions are designated such that vertical elevation, horizontal motion, yaw, pitch, and roll can be independently controlled. This allows precise flying without a need for complex flight controls. In addition, the independent control simplifies the task of keeping a device (e.g., a tool, weapon, sensor) aligned with a target. In particular embodiments, the alignment of the tool or sensor may need a movement only within a single plane. An operator (e.g., an onboard or remote pilot, a tool operator) can manually adjust the device alignment to keep the device on a target”

Although the patent alludes to various devices, Claim 1 only references a claw for opening doors:

Claim 1: A method, comprising: (a) receiving data collected from sensors mounted to a frame of an unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle having a plurality of thrust units including a plurality of vertical lifters and one or more horizontal thrusters; (b) receiving instructions over a wireless interface to operate a mechanical claw connected to the frame; (c) receiving instructions over the wireless interface to close the mechanical claw on a door-opening device selected from the group consisting of a door knob, a door latch, and a door handle; (d) closing the mechanical claw on the door-opening device; and (e) receiving instructions to use the mechanical claw to open the door using the door-opening device.

Title: “ROTOCRAFT”

US Patent No: 8,973,862

Filed (US): Feb 24, 2010

Granted: March 10, 2015