Mercedes using drones to deliver coffee in Zurich

MUNICH — Mercedes-Benz is taking the next step in an ambitious project to use drones for same-day delivery, with a threeweek pilot in Zurich that will see mini-copters shuttle bags of ground coffee to fixed points in the city. Customers can place an order with Swiss online shopping platform Siroop on selected items from retailer Black & Blaze Coffee Roasting Co. The roaster packs the order on site, rather than delivering the goods to Siroop’s logistics centre. Drones then fly to four fixed spots in inner-city Zurich about 10 kilometres away, landing on the roofs of Mercedes-Benz Vito vans, which carry the parcel the last stretch.