American company promises a revolution in transportation by bringing drones into the fray
How would you feel if you saw a package you were waiting for or even the food order you had placed arrive at your home not by a courier or delivery service employee but by small robotic aircraft?
It may seem like something out of a science fiction scenario, but it may not be so far-fetched after all. A new Silicon Valley company, Matternet, wants to bring unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) , or “drones,” into the transportation battle.
The company's initial goal is for drones to transport various essential goods, such as medicines, to isolated and inaccessible areas. However, in order for these "postal" drones to reach their destination, an extensive network of refueling stations must be created.
Matternet executives' ultimate goal is to create a global "delivery" service where drones will transport various products. The company wants the control of the drones and routes to be done by a fully automated system, while orders and payments will also be made automatically by the customer even through mobile phones. A number of drones, better known as "Quadrocopters", have already been built for it.
It is a kind of miniature helicopter with a diameter of a few tens of centimeters. It consists of a cylindrical body, which carries all the electronic equipment (detectors, cameras, atmosphere analyzer, GPS), and a cross, at the ends of which four propellers are attached. The propellers produce minimal noise and allow the craft to take off and land vertically. The Quadrocopter is assembled and very light, since it weighs less than one kilogram.
Matternet has already begun testing these drones in Haiti and the Dominican Republic – a video of one has been released. The drones can fly autonomously for around 10km and are capable of carrying payloads weighing up to two kilograms.
The company announced that it plans to build new drones that will have increased autonomy compared to those being tested and will probably be able to carry an even larger load. Matternet executives claim that the whole project is not at all financially prohibitive. The company carried out a virtual design regarding the requirements that the development of such a service would have in an African country. They chose Lesotho and specifically a province of the country, Maseru. The cost of building 150 drones and a network of 50 refueling stations in the area was estimated at $900,000.
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