Swiss Postal Delivery via Drones – Tests to run until end of July

Swiss Postal Delivery via Drones – Tests to run until end of July

by | Jul 9, 2015 | Air | 0 comments

Swiss Post Testing Drones for Mail Delivery Unmanned Cargo Delivery Concept – Chronicle 10 Swiss Post, Swiss WorldCargo and Matternet Start Drone Tests ( July 10, 2015) (Editor’s Note: Swiss postal delivery concept was originally touched upon back in April as mentioned in this post.) What Article Chronicles:  Switzerland’s postal service, Swiss Post, announced on Tuesday, July 7th, that it had begun testing parcel deliveries via unmanned cargo drones. Tests will run until the end of July. The goal is to test the practical use as well as cost-effectiveness of drones in delivery logistics, not just for mail/parcel delivery but also for emergency situations (e.g. delivery of emergency relief supplies or high priority consignments such as laboratory samples). The widespread use of drones, however, is not expected within the next five years. Current barriers to everyday use include the Swiss regulatory framework and existing technical limitations such as limited battery life. Official UAV / Drone Name: To be determined. Several Matternet Models, particularly the Matternet ONE, will be used in the drone tests. Basic UAV/ Drone Description:  Autonomous, “snow-white”, “light structure” quadcopter that can follow pre-programmed flight routes established by cloud software from Matternet. Payload: Up to 1 kg (2.2 lb) via small thermally insulated containers. Range: Approximately 10 km (6.2 miles). Speed: Unknown. Companies Involved: Swiss Post Swiss WorldCargo Matternet   What are your thoughts on the use of unmanned postal delivery drones? Comment below!...
German Cargo Drones Delivering Blood Samples

German Cargo Drones Delivering Blood Samples

by | Jul 8, 2015 | Air | 0 comments

German Cargo Drones Delivering Blood Samples Unmanned Cargo Delivery Concept – Chronicle 09 Drohnen: Fliegende Helfer für die Krankenhauslogistik ( April 20, 2015) (Editor’s Note: Original article is in German, title translates to “Drones: Flying Helpers for Hospital Logistics”.) What Article Chronicles: A chain of three German hospitals, the Agaplesion Frankfurter Diakonie Kliniken, wants to use drones to transport blood and lab samples. Circa 50 to 70 times per year, blood must be quickly delivered from the central blood bank and laboratory to one of the chain’s three hospitals as part of an emergency situation. However, due to typical Frankfurt rush hour traffic, it can take up to 20 minutes for a 5 km (3.1 mile) trip. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) could potentially do the same trip in 5 minutes. Agaplesion partnered up with HiSystems Gmbh to test out the concept. As Mr. Dennis Göbel, managing director of Agaplesion states, this is not “an Amazon-type business – we want to save lives, not deliver books.” German and EU laws require that drones remain in view of their pilots at all times and prohibit flight over densely populated areas. Drones may also not fly higher than 100 meters (328 feet). As such, test flights for the unmanned drone delivery of blood and laboratory sample have only occurred on private land but the maiden flight over the Frankfurt cityscape is still pending. Official UAV / Drone Name: MikroKopter Basic UAV/ Drone Description:  All-weather, 4.5 kg (9.9 lb), six-rotor UAV with three-dimensional locating and positioning capabilities via onboard camera, GPS and air pressure sensors. In case of emergency maneuvers, the drone...
Cargo Delivery Drones Public/Private Partnership in South Korea

Cargo Delivery Drones Public/Private Partnership in South Korea

by | Jul 2, 2015 | Air | 0 comments

CJ Group Cargo Drones Unmanned Cargo Delivery Concept – Chronicle 08 CJ Group Unveils Cargo Carrying Drones (May 15, 2015) (Editor’s Note: South Korean government/private cooperation between Ministry of Public Safety and Security and the CJ Group to use drones to deliver cargo, food and medicines in times of disaster) What the Article Chronicles:  South Korea’s Ministry of Public Safety and Security has partnered up with CJ Korea Express, the country’s largest cargo delivery company, to develop and provide drones that can deliver much needed disaster relief supplies. This is the first time a private company will be given permission to start unmanned aerial vehicle services in South Korea. So far, three drones have been developed with 3 more in the pipeline. In the long term,  CJ Korea Express hopes to capitalize on its emerging disaster relief operations experience to launch a commercial drone delivery service to remote and isolated areas as soon as the current South Korean UAV operation laws change. Official UAV / Drone Name: CJ Sky Door Basic UAV/ Drone Description:  Midsized drone with four 3-bladed rotors. Payload: Up 3 kg (6.6 lb) of disaster relief goods via a cargo box or via a detachable container. Range: A maximum altitude of 4,000 m (13,123 feet) and a 20 km (12.4 mile) flying radius. Speed: Up to 60 km/hr ( 37 mi/hr) for 70 minutes. Companies Involved: CJ Korea Express South Korea’s Ministry of Public Safety and Security What are your thoughts on the unmanned cargo delivery public/private partnership concept? Comment...
Cargo Delivery Drones – Flying Soon Near You

Cargo Delivery Drones – Flying Soon Near You

by | Jun 28, 2015 | Air | 1 comment

Flirtey Delivery Drones to Make Historic “Kitty Hawk” Flight Unmanned Cargo Delivery Concept – Chronicle 07 Cargo Delivery Drones – Flying Soon Near You (June 25, 2015) (Editor’s Note: Throwback to my third LinkedIn article regarding unmanned cargo) It has been a year of firsts for the commercial drone delivery concept. In February, Alibaba’s online marketplace, Taobao, partnered up with YTO Express to run a real world test in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, allowing 450 people (on a first-come-first-served basis) to order ginger tea and receive it via UAV in less than an hour.  In June, Fastway Couriers teamed up with Flirtey to successfully carry out drone parcel deliveries in New Zealand by transporting automobile parts along a 1.9 km (1.2 mile) route in less than 5 minutes, compared to 20 minutes by traditional courier.   And now, Flirtey is at it again. The Australian commercial drone startup, in partnership with NASA and Virginia Tech, will be the first company to demonstrate the practicality of commercial drone deliveries in the US as part of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved test flight slated for July 17. Flirtey’s hexacopter UAVs and NASA’s fixed-winged aircraft will deliver pharmaceuticals to a free medical clinic in Wise, Virginia as part of the “Let’s Fly Wisely” event, which aims to demonstrate how drones can improve health care access and create economic opportunities.  A total of 24 packages will be delivered by Flirtey’s hexacopters, which are made from carbon fiber, aluminum and 3D printed components. Each lightweight, multi-rotor UAV has a range of 30 kilometers (20 miles). They feature built-in safety measures, such as low-battery alert and low GPS signal/full communication loss auto-return to a...
The Age of the Cargo Drones – How Will Your Goods Be Delivered?

The Age of the Cargo Drones – How Will Your Goods Be Delivered?

by | Jun 25, 2015 | Air | 0 comments

Autonomous Last Mile Delivery Solutions – Amazon, Matternet and Container Delivery Direct from Cargo Ships Unmanned Cargo Delivery Concept – Chronicle 06 The Age of the Cargo Drones – How Will Your Goods Be Delivered? (May 14, 2015) (Editor’s Note: Throwback to my second LinkedIn article regarding unmanned cargo) Last week, at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) conference, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it would take part in 3 research projects to collect data about the safety of beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations. Among those eagerly awaiting this information are both startups and heavy hitters such as Matternet and Amazon. If approved, BVLOS maneuvers could bring the concept of commercial cargo drone systems one step closer to reality. Current data suggests that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) could potentially deliver a 5 pound (2.27 kg) package in under 30 minutes for as low as $1. This would significantly revolutionize traditional last mile package delivery logistics. Something that both Matternet and Amazon are aiming to do in their own specific way. Matternet, a company working on perfecting drone-based delivery, envisions the use of an interconnected quadcopter system to deliver light packages such as medicines, documents and electronic goods. Their Matternet ONE drones are programmed to autonomously follow routes plotted by the company’s cloud software, adjusting automatically for weather, restricted airspace and physical obstacles. For $5000, interested companies could own and operate a Matternet ONE. However, there are also talks of a subscription service that would lease the hardware for as low as $1000 per month per UAV. Having already tested drone operations in Haiti and...
Next Generation Unmanned Short-Sea Cargo Ship

Next Generation Unmanned Short-Sea Cargo Ship

by | Jun 23, 2015 | Sea | 0 comments

Unmanned Cargo Ships: Pros, Cons and Next Steps Unmanned Cargo Delivery Concept – Chronicle 05 The ReVolt is Coming! (October 09, 2014) (Editor’s Note: Throwback to my first LinkedIn article regarding unmanned cargo) The ReVolt is coming! Not the long speculated “rise of the machines”, but rather the latest model of the next generation, battery powered, unmanned short-sea cargo vessels. Last month at SSM Hamburg, DNV GL released concept details for the zero-emission ReVolt which will be powered by a 3000kWh battery, be able to carry 100 TEU and have a range of 100 nautical miles before needing to recharge. Featuring an autonomous navigation system, it would require no crew or crew facilities thereby increasing ship capacity and reducing operating costs. Will the logistics chain be changed forever? The Vision The concept of unmanned cargo ships has been around for decades, but only recently with the advent of technology promoting the possibility of driverless cars (Google Cars) and tiny unmanned delivery aircraft (Amazon Prime Air) has the concept become more feasible. Although there are still all kinds of technical, economic and regulatory problems that must be overcome to make the unmanned-cargo-ship-as-a-crucial-link-in-the-logistics-supply-chain scenario a reality, there is substantial research currently going on that will accelerate the coming of age of drone ships. Earlier this year in Norway, the Blue Ocean Development Team of famed auto and engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce set up a prototype 360-degee virtual reality vessel bridge that captains will be able to use on land to command crewless ships (Rolls Royce). Further South, the European Union is currently funding a 3.8 million Euro (~4.8 million USD) study entitled...