Tether compensated airborne delivery

A method to compensate for tether movement in an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), comprising:

• controlling, by at least one computing device of the UAV, a flight path of the UAV;
• controlling, by the at least one computing device of the UAV, extension of a tether from a winch secured to the UAV for delivery of an item;
• identifying, by at least one sensor, at least one component of movement in the tether;
• determining, by the at least one computing device of the UAV, a complementary response to the movement in the tether;
• directing, by the at least one computing device of the UAV, a tether compensation mechanism to contact and counterbalance the tether against the movement according to the complementary response;
• and
• adjusting, by the at least one computing device, the flight path of the UAV based on the complementary response.

An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), comprising:

• a winch secured to the UAV, the winch including a tether to lower an item from the UAV for delivery;
• a flight controller configured to control flight of the UAV and extension of the tether from the winch;
• a sensor configured to identify at least one component of movement in the tether;
• and
• a tether response controller configured to:
• determine a complementary response to the movement in the tether;
• and
• direct a tether compensation mechanism to contact and counterbalance the tether against the movement according to the complementary response, wherein
• the flight controller is further configured to adjust the flight of the UAV based on the complementary response.