News Content

Matternet, DHL test drones with real payloads Switzerland and Germany

CALIFORNIA drone maker Matternet and Germany's DHL's "parcelcopter" unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), will begin testing with actual payloads in the next two months, reports Atlanta area Air Cargo World.

Early last year, Matternet CEO Andreas Raptopoulos said his company would work with Swiss WorldCargo and Swiss Post on testing the Matternet ONE drone as an automated cargo delivery system. Last summer, they passed tests in Switzerland.

Matternet development chief Oliver Evans said the company now plans to fly routes with actual shipments on board, to prove the reliability and value of the service.

Mr Evans could not disclose the timing and location of the operation, but Matternet said it has received certification for its vehicles from the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA).

The process of coordination with the customer, the logistic partner (Swiss WorldCargo) and the FOCA, among other authorities, is in process, he said.

Meanwhile, DHL's parcelcopter concept which conducted its pilot projects last fall in Bonn and on the North Sea Island of Juist, will resume shortly.

This will involve a test flight in the village of Reit im Winkl in Bavaria. This test will subject the UAV to the conditions of a mountain region, covering a distance of five miles, a winter sports resort.

This test will include application of the fully automated loading and unloading of parcels, which will be tested in a specially modified DHL Packstation kiosk, called the "Parcelcopter Skyport.〃

Like the DHL parcelcopter, the Matternet ONE, is a quad-copter design, with a centrally located payload that is easy to load and unload. The Matternet vehicle is light and strong enough to transport a payload of up to one kilogram as far as 20 kilometres on a single battery charge.

It is also capable of autonomous operation, following secure routes generated by Matternet's cloud-based software. The drone is programmed to land only on landing pads set up y Matternet for the customer, which prevents it from getting lost and landing in the wrong place.