DHL's Parcelcopter is drone delivery in action (+video)

Sending packages by airplane is nothing new, but the task could soon be taken over by drones.

DHL recently completed a three-month test of its automated drone delivery system, the Parcelcopter. It works with a combination helipad and mailbox dubbed Skyport, which can automatically load and unload the drone’s payload when it lands and store it in one of the station’s lockers.

Testing took place between January and March in Bavaria, Germany. The idea was to see if the drone could be used to deliver packages to remote areas where standard delivery takes a long time.

According to DHL, the Parcelcopter successfully completed 130 autonomous loading and unloading cycles while dealing with rapidly changing weather conditions and temperature fluctuations. Each round trip covered 8 kilometers with the drone flying 1,200 meters above sea level. Flying at a speed of 70 km/hour, the Parcelcopter was able to deliver its payload within 8 minutes of take-off. A trip that takes 30 minutes by car in winter.

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