Japan’s UAS Industrial Development Association (JUIDA) reports completion of two-days of testing by Japan Post to deliver parcels up to 2.5kg by drones to private homes in mountainous areas, which are hard or dangerous to access by truck.
Japan Post used the ACSL-PF2 drone developed by Autonomous Control System Laboratory Ltd to fly round-trips from Okuta Post Office in Nishitama district up to the delivery destination. The delivery destinations consisted in two private homes with one round-trip per day between 9am and 3pm. The drone flew BVLOS and autonomously at an average speed of 36km/h and at an altitude fluctuating from 30 to 140 meters. ACSL had previously gotten the approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) to fly BVLOS and without any assistance. The drone was equipped with a camera able to scan the QR code at the delivery destination to land safely and deliver the parcel.
In comparison with usual parcel delivery by truck in this region, the use of a drone reduced the time by half. Japan Post will keep doing similar tests as they hope to put this technology into practical use within five years.
A video is available at: https://lnkd.in/gRyNPcm
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