Flying high to deliver the goods
APIONEERING delivery of auto parts via a drone in Auckland has been followed up by another breatkthrough delivery, this time of medical supplies in Virginia.
July 17 saw the first real-world delivery via drone in the United States when a Flirtey drone dropped off pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies to a clinic in Wise, Virginia.
But the first real test of a commercial delivery by one of the company’s drones was in May when Fastway Couriers used one to deliver parts from its Penrose offices in Auckland to heavy transport specialist TR Group’s offices in Mt Wellington.
A video of the delivery showed off the speed of the drone by comparing it to one of the Fastway vans which also made the 1.9km trip to TR Group. What took the drone just under five minutes was an 18 minute ride for the driver.
Scott Jenkins, CEO at Fastways, says drone technology is making rapid progress ‘‘and it displays a way of increasing speed of delivery, particularly in traffic congested areas’’.
‘‘This opens up a range of possibilities for courier companies, small businesses and online retailers.’’
TR Group’s general manager Brendan King says the package delivered was an LED light and it got involved into the groundbreaking The Southward Car Museum’s annual Auto Jumble is being held on November 8. Trades sites are being booked so contact Hayden Beissel for more information: hayden@southwards.co.nz December 12: The 36th annual Lake Ferry Excursion is being run by the Sunbeam Car Club of NZ (Wellington). The run is about classic cars and meeting and talking to other enthusiasts, not just car club members. Meetup at Featherston’s Fell Museum at 11am for a drivers’ briefing then an 11.30am departure to Lake Ferry for lunch.
For inclusion, send event details to: supplements@dompost.co.nz experiment as a favour to Fastway Couriers.
‘‘We’re pretty friendly with the guys there and they asked us to help out with the trial.’’
One of the interesting things about the drone ride is the actual delivery mechanism. As can be seen via the video link below, while the drone hovers above the TR Group driveway the package is lowered on a cord which detaches from the package and is retracted before the drone flies back. (To see the whole operation, go to: http://bit.ly/1JUlPbo) Chief executive of Flirtey, Matthew Sweeny, who founded the company with Tom Bass in 2013, said it was a significant trial as it was the first commercial drone delivery over a populated area of New Zealand.
‘‘As the entire concept and its technology continues to evolve, the sky is the limit. We’re pioneering a future where anything a consumer orders is delivered directly via an unmanned aerial vehicle.’’
Founded in Australia in 2013 and now based in Nevada, Flirtey’s current delivery drone is made from carbon fibre, aluminium and 3d printed parts.
It has a range of about 15 kilometres return and can deliver packages weighing 2.5kg. Its built-in safety features include autoreturn to base in case of low GPS signal or communication loss, and a return-to-safe location feature if the battery gets low.
Sweeny says customers received a text message notification for their delivery.
New Zealand has been an important testing ground for the drones because of its favourable legislation and a relatively uncrowded airspace.
He says other potential uses of the technology include search and rescue, fast food deliveries and aerial surveyance and mapping.
The delivery on July 17 was a sign, Sweeny says, that unmanned aircraft can deliver lifesaving medicines and also that one day deliveries such as this will be routine.
The deliveries of the medical supplies were to an annual free health clinic run by a group called the Health Wagon at fairgrounds in the rural area of Wise which usually services about 1500 people.
‘‘This technology could open so many doors for our patients and our community,’’ the group’s Teresa Gardner says.
Flirtey is backed by investors from the US, Australia and New Zealand, with support from Fastway Global Couriers.