Construction of the Airbus Helicopters drone delivery service at the National University of Singapore is well underway with two UAV prototypes already flying in Marginane, France. With the tight deadline of first parcel deliveries being sent under the system next year, Airbus Helicopters is still very much learning as it goes with this pioneering move to deliver goods across an urban environment. Launched last year, the ambitious concept will see numerous octocopter UAVs travelling across the campus through aerial corridors with an item carried on its underside.
The UAV will travel an automated route and land on a designated pad. Once it lands, the vehicle will automatically unload the parcel. This system of systems will retain the use of ground stations, although the company sees the concept as a way to address autonomy issues as well as acting as a ‘laboratory’ for other programmes.
The payload will be around 2-4kg and the battery will automatically charge between flights. The UAV will be able to travel in a bi-directional movement and does not have a sense and avoid system despite the UAVs operating at the same time. Parcels will arrive to the parcel station or from the Port of Singapore, which is in close proximity to the university campus. Once the parcel has been delivered, the recipient will receive a notification on their mobile phone of its arrival.
‘The Skyways Project aims to develop an airborne infrastructure solution to address the sustainability and efficiency of parcel delivery business in large urban environments,’ the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said at the time of its memorandum of understanding with Airbus. Wind tests will now be conducted on the system.
Source: Shephard Media