Swiss Post, Swiss WorldCargo and Matternet are jointly testing the commercial use of logistics drones this month for purposes such as emergency aid in the latest step towards using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for parcel deliveries.
The three companies said today they are investigating specific uses of drone technology and examining the cost-effectiveness of these business ideas, although the widespread use of drones is not expected within the next five years. The focus is primarily on their use in exceptional cases or the transport of special items.
In spring 2015, Swiss Post, Swiss WorldCargo and California-based logistics drone manufacturer Matternet joined forces to test the practical use of drones in logistics. With these tests, the partners are pursuing the aim of playing a leading role in this significant development and pinpointing the technical possibilities and their own needs at an early stage.
Dieter Bambauer, head of PostLogistics, said: "Starting today, we are testing the GPS drones as a technical solution for possible future delivery options. Drone technology could allow us to expand our local distribution in a meaningful way in future.
"Our goal in this test phase is to understand the technical development and to examine possibilities for integrating it into our e-commerce strategy at an early stage. We do not want simply to adopt new technology. We also want to help shape it and integrate it into our processes wherever necessary in order to improve our efficiency."
The possible areas of application offered by drone technology are very diverse, ranging from delivery to peripheral areas to the express delivery of goods, according to the three companies.
From today’s point of view, the use of drones in emergency situations is conceivable. This could, for example, involve bringing supplies to an area that has been cut off from the outside world following a storm. Another realistic possibility is the urgent transport of consignments with the highest priority, such as laboratory tests.
But until the time of their realistic commercial use in around five years, there are various requirements which need to be clarified. This includes the regulatory framework. In addition, there are technical restrictions with the drones of today, such as limited battery life. Which specific uses will prevail depends on how quickly the regulatory requirements are clarified and technical obstacles dismantled, they said.
The business partners will test several Matternet ONE vehicles, which will be used for the first time as part of the tests. The flying device is specially designed for transporting small deliveries and it is extremely simple to operate.
Matternet ONE has an extremely light construction and is capable of transporting loads of up to 1 kilogram over more than 10 kilometres with a single battery charge. Matternet ONE flies autonomously, following clearly defined, secure flight paths, which are drawn up by cloud software developed by Matternet.
