Unmanned aerial vehicle base station system and method

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) base station comprising:

• a landing surface for enabling a UAV having a UAV battery pack to land on the landing surface;
• a battery-exchange system comprising:
• a battery-matrix comprising a plurality of battery-slots, each configured to removably hold a UAV battery pack;
• and
• a mechanical mechanism configured to move along at least two axes to interact with a selected UAV battery pack of the battery-exchange system and the UAV battery pack of the UAV;
• wherein the battery-exchange system is disposed within a housing cavity defined by a housing that at least comprises a top-plate configured for the UAV to land on the top-plate, the top-plate comprising:
• a hatch, the mechanical mechanism being operable to extend a battery pack through the hatch from within the housing cavity to a battery-swapping position above the top-plate;
• and
• at least one hatch-door operable to cover the hatch when the mechanical mechanism is not extended through the hatch;
• and
• a UAV fixation system operable to direct the UAV present on the top-plate to a battery-exchange zone of the top-plate.