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

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!