Patent ID: 8123162

Claim:
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising: an airframe having a longitudinal axis and a payload located at a front end thereof, the front end being a forwardmost end of the airframe relative to a forward direction of flight; a deep stall maneuver inducing section that causes the UAV to perform a deep stall maneuver as part of a landing process in which the UAV lands with about zero forward velocity; and an inflatable sleeve that is inflated after the deep stall maneuver is effected and, when inflated, is disposed and configured so as to contact a landing surface before the airframe, wherein the sleeve, when inflated, extends about the longitudinal axis of the airframe, protrudes beyond the front end of the airframe and essentially in the forward direction, and protrudes sufficiently far from the front end of the airframe so that the sleeve prevents the airframe from contacting the landing surface when the UAV lands.