Makani Technologies LLC

X Development LLC

Fort Felker

Charles Nordstrom

Joel Fraser Atwater

Robbie Philip Su

Brian Hachtmann

Elias Wolfgang Patten

Erik Christopher Chubb

Thomas Van Alsenoy

Elias Wolfgang Pattern

Florian Kapsenberg

Offshore airborne wind turbine systems with an aerial vehicle connected to an undersea anchor via a tether are disclosed. A floating landing platform may be coupled to the tether and be dragged along the surface of the water along with the tether. The landing platform may be designed such that the tether can freely pass through the platform, allowing the aerial vehicle to ascend, descend, move laterally, and in crosswind flight, without creating a significant tension load on landing platform. The landing platform may also include a tether drive mechanism that can actively move the tether through the platform, thus changing the platform's location along the length of the tether.

Integrated tether and mooring with floating platform for energy kite

Systems and methods for operating aerial vehicles in water-based locations. The systems and methods include a plurality of landing stations. Each landing station of the plurality of landing stations is coupled to at least one of: another landing station or an underwater mooring point. The systems and methods also include an aerial vehicle coupled to a tether mooring point by a tether. The aerial vehicle is configured to land on at least one landing station of the plurality of landing stations.

Offshore wind kite with seafloor mooring

Airborne wind turbine systems with multiple aerial vehicles connected via multiple tethers to a single ground station are disclosed. A node is coupled to the tethers. The node includes a drive system. At a proximate end of the node, each of the tethers is adjacent to neighboring tethers. And at a distal end of the node, each of the tethers is separated from the neighboring tethers. The airborne wind turbine system includes a control system configured to operate the drive system to translate the node along the tethers.

Nodes for multiple aerial vehicles connected to a single ground station

Energy kite wing

A method is disclosed where an airborne wind turbine (AWT) is prevented from coming into contact with airborne objects such as birds and bats. The AWT determines the location and characteristics of the incoming airborne objects, and depending on the determined risk value, may shift the location of the aerial vehicle of the AWT in order to avoid the risk of colliding with the airborne objects. Other considerations used by the AWT's determination may include whether the aerial vehicle can continue to generate electricity while performing the avoidance maneuver.

Methods for aerial avoidance

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Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Fort Felker