For these tests Swiss Post has teamed up with Swiss WorldCargo, the air freight division of Swiss global Air Lines, and Matternet which is a logistics drone maker in California.
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Testing of the autonomous GPS-guided drones will be carried out throughout this month, although any widespread use of the aircraft isn’t expected to take place for about five years – issues such as battery life and legislation still need to be worked out.
The Swiss Post is now testing drones for delivery, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. As it notes in its statement, however, the eventual use of drones for real-world deliveries hinges as much on regulatory changes as on technical advances, which could well dictate exactly what they’ll be used for.
“The focus is primarily on their use in exceptional cases or the transport of special items”.
“Another realistic possibility is the urgent transport of consignments with the highest priority, such as laboratory tests”, it added. A normal postman or woman has to navigate mountains, lakes and rivers when delivering post, but a drone could easily get around such obstacles – and it could do so in nearly any weather condition.
“Our product is vertically integrated into a complete transportation solution”, said Raptopoulos. The drone flies autonomously and follows flight plans laid out in cloud software. Drones could create a flying postal service that is autonomous, safe, and speedy.
While it will certainly be at least a few years before all mail in Switzerland is delivered by drones, these tests aim to start with small packages. Plus, Switzerland has yet to classify what is legal when it comes to drone regulation, so their use in the postal system will also depend on what becomes accepted.
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Images from Matternet and Wikimedia Commons.
