UPS successfully tests residential delivery by drone on top of package vehicle

UPS has successfully tested a residential drone delivery using a unique approach where the drone is integrated into the existing day-to-day operations of the package delivery company. The drone sits on top of the package vehicle, and delivers to an address, while the driver of the vehicle continues to make a delivery at another address. The drone flies back to the vehicle after delivering the package. Here is a 360 degree video of the drone taking off from the delivery truck.Workhorse group provided both the drone and the electric car for the test, and set the route for the drone. When actualised, the implementation is expected to use On-Road Integrated Optimization and Navigation (Orion), the navigation system of UPS to deliver the packages. The test used the Workhorse HorseFly UAV delivery system. Workhorse is one of the largest providers for fleets of electric trucks.[caption id="attachment_363470" align="aligncenter" width="640"] A UPS driver loading the package into the drone. Image: UPS.[/caption]The drone is integrated into the truck, and charges when docked to the roof of the truck. There is a cage below the drone that extends into the truck, where the packages are loaded by the driver. The UPS driver just has to tap a button on a touchscreen, and the drone flies off autonomously to make a delivery at a preset address. The drone has a flight time of thirty minutes when fully charged, and can carry packages up to 4.5 kg in weight.[caption id="attachment_363471" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The drone can fly for 30 minutes and carry 4.8 kg in weight. Image: UPS.[/caption]Deliveries by drones stand to reduce costs for UPS particularly in rural locations, where the delivery vehicles often travel long distances to make a single delivery. Mark Wallace, UPS senior vice president of global engineering and sustainability said "Imagine a triangular delivery route where the stops are miles apart by road. Sending a drone from a package car to make just one of those deliveries can reduce costly miles driven. This is a big step toward bolstering efficiency in our network and reducing our emissions at the same time"[caption id="attachment_363473" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The drone flies autonomously to the delivery location. Image: UPS.[/caption]UPS has about 66,000 delivery drivers on the road every day in the US. A reduction of just one mile (1.6 kilometres) per day per driver stands to save UPS about $50 million (about Rs 334 Crore) in annual costs. Rural deliveries are particularly expensive for UPS, considering the time and vehicle resources needed to make a single delivery. The drone leaves the vehicle, and joins at another point, essentially doubling the number of deliveries in the same amount of time.[caption id="attachment_363474" align="aligncenter" width="640"] After making a delivery, the drone flies back to the delivery vehicle, which continues to make other deliveries. Image: UPS.[/caption]Wallace said "Drivers are the face of our company, and that won’t change. What’s exciting is the potential for drones to aid drivers at various points along their routes, helping them save time and deliver on increasing customer service needs that stem from the growth of e-commerce." Stephen Burns, Workhorse founder and CEO said "It’s wonderful to see this technology applied in such a practical way. The drone is fully autonomous. It doesn’t require a pilot. So the delivery driver is free to make other deliveries while the drone is away."[caption id="attachment_363475" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The drone is integrated with the electric truck, and recharges when docked to the roof. Image: UPS.[/caption]UPS has been testing advanced robotic applications for deliveries, including drones, for years. In September 2016, UPS staged a mock delivery of urgently needed medicines to an island three miles (about 4.8 kilometres) off the coast of the Atlantic, through a drone delivery. UPS has also been using drones for humanitarian deliveries in Rwanda, by delivering life-saving blood and vaccines to remote locations. UPS uses drones for checking inventories on the higher shelves in its warehouses.UPS plans to integrate drone deliveries in a unique way into its service. Amazon is one of the major tech companies that has undertaken drone delivery trials, where the drone lifts off directly from an Amazon warehouse and delivers to a nearby address. Google and Walmart are also testing delivery through drones.