New German drone can tote three packages
Firm says vehicle is mostly autonomous
Wingcopter, a German aircraft developer, has created a delivery drone that might one day get your packages to you sooner.
On Tuesday the company introduced the Wingcopter 198, an all-electric drone that can make three delivery drop-offs on a single flight.
While companies such as Amazon, UPS and Alphabet’s Wing division are testing fleets of delivery drones, most of those are designed to drop off single packages before returning to base for other one-package flights.
By contrast, Wingcopter’s cargo machine was built to haul three small boxes on its undercarriage and control when and where each parcel is lowered to the ground. The company’s “triple drop” delivery system might help optimize courier workflows so people get their goods faster and cheaper.
It could also cut down on the labor required to oversee fleets of delivery drones, according to Tom Plümmer, Wingcopter’s chief executive.
“Today, in order to deploy three packages at one time, companies would have to buy or lease three drones,” Plümmer said. “Pricewise, you’re not going to want to have three of them when you can have one. And no one wants thousands of drones flying above their heads.”
The start-up’s new device is central to its broader vision of providing drones to firms seeking ways to distribute hot meals, groceries, medical supplies or other lightweight goods. It was created to “power logistical highways in the sky,” Plümmer said.
The company says the eightrotor air vehicle is capable of level-four autonomy, which means it is mostly autonomous but requires a human for some tasks.
It has a 5.8-foot wingspan and measures under 4.5 feet from nose
to tail. It is built around the Wingcopter’s patented tilt-rotor system, which allows it to take off vertically like a helicopter, fly in a fixed-wing position like an airplane, hover if it needs to, and land vertically. The drone uses wireless networks to communicate with flight controllers and has a visual artificial intelligence system and sensors to avoid nearby objects.
The aircraft relies on downward-facing cameras to find a safe place to release packages, and it can lower them to the ground in a matter of seconds, the company says.
Wingcopter also developed corresponding software that allows one flight controller to remotely monitor up to 10 drones flying anywhere in the world.
When carrying its maximum payload of 13 pounds, the Wingcopter 198 can travel more than 47 miles before requiring a recharge. It can be configured to carry three smaller packages, two medium-sized boxes or one large box. It can travel up to 68 miles with lighter packages and has a top speed of 93 miles per hour, Wingcopter says.
The start-up began accepting reservations Tuesday for its first 100 units. The electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) vehicle can cost up to six figures if bought outright, Plümmer said. Companies can also lease the drones.