DPDgroup presented its drone and delivery terminal for the first time at the 1st Drone Festival organised in Paris by the city council last weekend which was held on the captital's famous Champs Elysées avenue.
A flight demonstration of the DPD drone took place at the festival where DPDgroup also manned a stand to present its research to the public.
Since June 2014, France's La Poste has been testing parcel delivery by drone in real-life conditions, via DPDgroup.
In partnership with Atechsys, a specialist in autonomous systems, it has developed a drone capable of autonomously transporting large parcels (37cm x 27cm x 12,5cm) of up to 3 kilos within a 20-kilometre radius, regardless of the type of terrain.
In July 2015, DPDgroup and Atechsys developed a delivery terminal to ensure the safety of the loading, take-off and landing phases as well as the parcel release.
“This terminal provides a solution to the ongoing safety concerns and will provide a means of expanding logistics networks by overcoming major obstacles, including infrastructure: inadequacy of road networks in addition to island and mountain areas, etc.; weather conditions: areas that are flooded or blocked by snow ; safety of people and operators; and protection and security of the parcel and equipment,” the DPDgroup said in a statement.
The terminal features a structure protecting access to the drone during landing and take-off phases, an automated carriage system for transporting the parcel and an electronics system devoted to the safety of handling operations around the drone.
“In September 2015, the DPDgroup drone showed its ability to fly autonomously. Since then, it successfully carried out a complete and fully autonomous parcel delivery sequence for a 1.5 kg parcel over a distance of 14 kilometres, including take-off, flight phase, landing and return to base station.
“These highly successful tests are a testament to the approach chosen by DPDgroup, notably the consideration given to the use of drones for accessing isolated areas (mountains, islands, rural areas, etc.).”
The drone developed by DPDGroup has a maximum speed of 30km/h while its navigation system is capable of transmitting up to 50 kilometres.
Its technical features include 6 electric rotors, carbon fibre chassis, latest-generation embedded electronics, an on-board GPS and camera with live data stream, redundant electronics and a system which detects anomalies during flight, allowing an automattc parachute to be deployed in the event of a fall.
DPDGroup's partner, Atechsys, was founded on the idea that each application will require a specific drone.
“At a time when off-the-shelf drones are being produced, Atechsys develops the technological building blocks which, when assembled, create a drone that is perfectly suited to the customer's specifications. This is what is called the third generation drone,” the statement added.
“Such a unique positioning on the market, combined with the fact it has full control over the value chain, puts Atechsys in a position to let its products fly. With nine employees and €650,000 in revenues in 2013, Atechsys features among the leading companies in the professional civil drone market.”
