Experiments with drones in the logistics sector are taking shape. DHL has now claimed that the drones it deploys to deliver parcels are the first to actually serve consumers.
Meanwhile, DHL has already delivered more than 100 parcels in which the drones operated completely autonomously. The parcel delivery company partnered Deutsche Post for the test and had the self-flying robots deliver more than 130 orders in the town of Reit im Winkl in the state of Bavaria. The experiment took place between January and March this year.
World first
DHL's successful deliveries make it the first company worldwide to use drones to deliver orders to customers. The residents of the German town were asked to deliver the parcels to a special parcel point. Here, the pieces were picked up by a drone and flown independently to another station. After the package was delivered by the shipper, no human was involved.
Last mile
The deployment of drones is mainly done to make 'last mile' delivery run smoothly. In some cases, the last step is extremely complicated due to hard-to-reach areas. DHL reveals that the drones have also delivered packages under difficult conditions and can even deliver heavy orders. Sometimes over long distances or within a certain time frame. For example, a drone can deliver medicines when they are needed quickly.
More experiments
Chinese company Alibaba and US-based Amazon are also testing drones, but they still often run into strict regulations.... In Germany, DHL received cooperation from local authorities to conduct the experiments.
Editorial LogistiekProfs
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