UPS of a shipping company starts a test to deliver goods to the eaves by skipping a drone from a home delivery truck

UPS, which provides courier service, announced delivery plan using drone. Under this plan, UPS aims at delivering luggage using a drone to a delivery destination near the track traveling route by incorporating a drone in the delivery truck, and on February 20, 2017, The test has started.

UPS Tests Residential Delivery Via Drone Launched From atop Package Car
https://pressroom.ups.com/pressroom/ContentDetailsViewer.page?ConceptType=PressReleases&id=1487687844847-162

UPS has a delivery truck that can launch a drone - The Verge
http://www.theverge.com/2017/2/21/14691062/ups-drone-delivery-truck-test-completed-video

The first test that took place in February 2017 seems to have been successful, but UPS is still not at the stage where it is still possible to introduce the delivery system using this drone into the field. In fact, the international news mediaTechCrunchAccording to the report that Drone failed to take off and crashed, "The second drone test ended in failure".

Still, building a new delivery system using drone seems to be a very innovative effort. UPS is not aimed at "reducing the number of delivery staff" by using drones, but also points that it can also evaluate that it is aiming "to reduce the workload of delivery personnel". Especially at the time of delivery at a remote location, the drone may be more useful. Mr. Mark Wallace of UPS said, "In our rural areas, our delivery trucks have to run miles to deliver a package," and in fact, by utilizing the drones for delivery UPS estimates that the mileage for delivery trucks will decrease by 66,000 miles per day (about 100,000 km) per day, leading to cost savings of $ 50 million per year (about 5.7 billion yen).

In order to incorporate drone into the delivery truck for UPS,WorkhorseWe are cooperating with the company. The appearance of the delivery truck with its built-in drone is not much different from other delivery trucks, but in the car there is a space to store the drone and a space to take off the drones from inside the car.

You can see in the movie below how the drone actually takes off from the delivery truck and flies to the delivery destination.

UPS Tests Residential Delivery Via Drone - B - Roll - YouTube


One truck running along a country road


This is a delivery truck with drone built by UPS.


Appearance is almost the same as ordinary truck, but there is something protruding on the ceiling part.


A delivery woman will enter the truck loading platform.


I pick up the package to deliver ... ...


I will put the luggage in something like a basket.



And back to driver's seat ......


Operate the panel mounted on the side of the handle. Tap the map displayed on the panel and designate the delivery destination ... ....


It seems that we confirm the information of delivery destination and the number of packages to deliver.


When the operation on the panel is over, the roof of the track starts to slide.



And the drone took off from here.


Looking at the truck loading platform like this, the drone that the basket containing the luggage sticks up rises ... ...


Drone appears in the roof of the truck.


I will take off as it is.


The drone can fly for up to 30 minutes and the weight of the baggage that can be carried is up to 10 pounds (about 4.5 kg).


After confirming that the drone flew away ......


The delivery member left the truck as it is.


The drone loaded with luggage will fly alone to the delivery destination.




Drone descending to the delivery destination.


Meanwhile, the delivery member should drive the truck and move to the next delivery destination.


Once you deliver the package, Drone departs again.



While the drone is delivering the package, the delivery member also delivers the package to another delivery destination.


Where the delivery member delivered another package ......


Drone is back.


Once you store the drone on the track ......



Move to the next delivery destination. Not all drawn goods are delivered by Drone, but delivery staff and drones can divide in order to increase delivery efficiency, such as "ask drone only for delivery at a remote location."


In addition, the following movie is a 360 degree movie shot at UPS delivery drones point of view. You can take off from the delivery truck, deliver luggage, see the drunken perspective until you come back to the track, 360 degree movie, so you can change the viewpoint freely.

UPS Tests Residential Delivery Via Drone - 360 - YouTube


You can change the viewpoint by dragging the screen or by using the icon in the upper left of the screen.


At the moment, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States still needs to keep the drone within view of the pilot, and this regulation can not realize UPS's planned method of drone delivery. However, the advancement of technology is progressing throughout the industry, and it seems that the move toward deregulation is progressing gradually as a result of the companies' plans to develop services using drone.