Seven-Eleven Japan and ANA Holdings lead a group that has been holding tests since late November in Hinode a sparsely populated area in western Tokyo.
The drone is about 2 meters long, and can carry goods up to 5 kilograms.
The tests will take place from November 29-December 19 with Seven-Eleven’s Hinode-Oguno store (between Hachioji and Okutama) as the hub. Products ordered through the Seven-Eleven Net Convenience Store will be delivered to four delivery destinations within Hinode town, including local parks and a hospital.
The drones will be loaded with the purchased products by the actual Seven-Eleven store staff.
The convenience store is also installing the needed drone takeoff and landing site.
Orders will be accepted from 9:00 to 16:00, and the drone shipping fee will be ¥110 (US$1) including tax.
ANA will play the most difficult part, operating the drones, issuing the delivery notifications, and generally coordinating the whole operation.
ACSL will provide technical support for the operation of the drone, while NTT Docomo will offer use of its LTE network.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is playing its part by excluding these tests from the usual ban on Level 4 drone flights in which the operator flies over a populated area outside of visual range.
Yoshinori Arai, General Manager of Seven-Eleven Japan, said,
“I feel that drones have tremendous potential. In the future, I would like to proceed with demonstration experiments on remote islands.”
Seven-Eleven aims to put the drone delivery service into practical use focusing on less-populated areas.
The company wants to start the service by fiscal 2025, offering deliveries within 30 minutes.
Sources: NHK World Japan; Akihabara News