Package delivery giant United Parcel Service Inc. began testing last Thursday the use of drones to make commercial deliveries of packages to remote locations. Working with Danvers, Mass.-based drone maker CyPhy Works, UPS staged a mock delivery of urgently needed medicine from Beverly, Mass. to Children’s Island.
As part of the test, UPS said the drone delivered an asthma inhaler to a child at a camp on the island, which is only a few miles offshore, but isn’t accessible by automobile. The drone took about six minutes to deliver its package–with “very extreme precision,” Wallace said–while a boat ride of similar distance could take roughly five times as long.
“Our focus is on real-world applications that benefit our customers,” said Mark Wallace, senior vice president of global engineering and sustainability at UPS. “We think drones offer a great solution to deliver to hard-to-reach locations in urgent situations where other modes of transportation are not readily available.”
The drone used–CyPhy’s Persistent Aerial Reconnaissance and Communications (PARC) vehicle system–is battery powered, has night vision, flies itself and features a secure communications system.
UPS invested in CyPhy to gather information about drone uses and capabilities. UPS has tested drones in warehouses to check high, difficult-to-access storage racks, to confirm stock and available storage space. In May, the company announced a partnership with drone startup Zipline and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance to deliver blood transfusionsthroughout Rwanda by drone.
UPS said it plans to continue to work with regulators as new guidelines are put into place. UPS Airlines’ director of safety, Captain Houston Mills, was recently appointed to the FAA’s new drove advisory committee.
UPS doesn’t expect drones to replace other forms of delivery, but they can increase the places deliveries can be made in a timely manner.
“UPS uniformed employees remain a vital connection to our customers, but tests like these reveal a bridge to the future of customer service and urgent package delivery,” Wallace said.
Source: MarketWatch