UPS delivers prescription medication direct to a home by drone

(November 6 2019) Flight Forward a subsidiary of the UPS has just completed what it claims is the first drone delivery market that delivered prescription medication directly to a customer's home by drone.

On the first of November, UPS flew a medication from a pharmacy in North Carolina to a home, and then made a second delivery to a retirement community. The deliveries were made in a partnership with CVS Pharmacy and Matternet, a drone logistics company. The delivery was made autonomously but with a remote operator monitoring the delivery who could intervene if the drone encountered any problems. On arriving at the home, the Matternet M2 drone hovered about 20 feet above the property and then lowered the package via a cable. The hope is that the drone deliveries will make it easier for customers with limited mobility to get their packages easier. An announcement of the delivery with details was made in a recent article: "UPS (NYSE:UPS) subsidiary UPS Flight Forward Inc. (UPSFF) and CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS.N) subsidiary CVS Pharmacy, Inc. today announced the successful completion of the first revenue-generating drone delivery of a medical prescription from a CVS pharmacy directly to a consumer’s home. This was followed by another delivery of a medical prescription to a second customer in a nearby retirement community. Both flights occurred on Friday, Nov. 1, 2019, using the M2 drone system by UPS partner and drone systems developer Matternet."

 

 Wing earlier made deliveries 

 

  Wing a subsidiary of Alphabet (Google) has already made deliveries in Virginia: "Wing’s drone delivery service is now live in Virginia. The Alphabet subsidiary is now delivering snacks and health care products to residents of Christiansburg, Virginia, after receiving approval from the government and teaming up with major players like FedEx and Walgreens. Wing says it’s the first commercial drone delivery service in the US." An article on April 23rd this year noted: "Wing achieved a significant milestone today, becoming the first drone delivery company to receive Air Carrier Certification from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). "

 

 UPS has also made prior deliveries 

 

The UPS has been operating a pilot drone delivery project at WakeMed Hospital in North Carolina since this March. UPS claims it has now made 1,500 deliveries. However, the Flight Forward service includes prescription medications being flown directly to residential homes something the WakeMed project has not done.  

 

Regulatory approval is slow  

 

Drone deliveries beyond the operator's line of sight have been slow to get FAA authorization. UPS only got its approval in late September. Wing was an early entry getting approval in April. Now that both companies have approval they will be able to gain experience in the real world at making drone deliveries and deal with any problems that arise.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/technology/usadrone-delivers-medical-prescription-direct-to-a-residence/article/561243#ixzz6AV7ovTyX

Wing owned by Alphabet delivers by drone in Christiansburg Virginia

(Oct. 18)The drone delivery company Wing, a subsidiary of Alphabet (formerly Google) is now delivering not only health care products but also snacks to residents of Christiansburg Virgina.

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The company received recent approval for deliveries from the federal government and has teamed up with major companies such as FedEx and Walgreens. Wing claims it is the first commercial drone delivery service in the US.

Earlier this year, Wing became one of the first operators to be certified as a commercial air carrier by the Federal Aviation Administration that allows it to delivers goods to persons miles away and much beyond the drone operator's line of sight.

A recent article notes: " With an expanded Air Carrier Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Wing today became the first company to operate a commercial air delivery service via drone directly to homes in the United States. Wing’s FAA permissions are the first to allow multiple pilots to oversee multiple unmanned aircraft making commercial deliveries simultaneously to the general public, paving the way for the most advanced drone delivery service in the nation."

Wing

Wikipedia describes Wing: "Wing is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. that develops technology of drone-based delivery of freight. The company completed their first real-world deliveries in 2014.[1] The company has offices in Australia, the United States and Finland[citation needed]. In July 2018, Project Wing changed from Google X to become an independent Alphabet company.[2] As of January 2019, Wing began delivering take-out food and beverages out of its test facility in Bonython, Australia as part of a pilot program.[3] In April 2019 Wing became the first drone delivery company to receive a Air operator's certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration to allow it to operate as an airline in the USA.[4]"

How the system works. The appended promotional video gives a good picture of exactly how the system works.

The company says it hopes to replace deliveries that are now made by car or truck in order to reduce traffic on the city's roads. It also is a speedy delivery mode for anyone who has limited mobility options. Wing promises that its deliveries will take place within minutes of an order being place as long the customer lives in Christiansburg's "designated delivery zones". There are no extra fees for the drone deliveries.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Giant Chinese online retailer to build 150 drone delivery launch centers

The giant Chinese online retailer JD.com, one of the country's largest internet shopping sites second only to Alibaba is to build 150 drone launch centers in Sichuan to deliver to rural areas CEO Richard Liu announced.

It is easy to buy goods online and have them delivered in cities but in rural areas choices are much more limited and local stores usually have higher prices. Liu said the new drone sites could reduce shipping costs as much as 70 percent. The firm has been holding talks with the government for a more extensive logistics agreement in the province.

JD.com has been developing it drone capacities since October of 2015 through its JDX innovation lab. A Wall Street Journal article at the end of January last year reported tests were already underway: "The Beijing-based company said Thursday it has started an experiment with bright red drones emblazoned with its logo to carry small packages to far-flung areas that are difficult to reach with regular truck routes." The article notes that Amazon.com is also planning a 30 minute Prime Air delivery service. JD.com's larger rival Alibaba Group Holding may also compete with JD.com.

A company statement said:"In areas where complex terrain and poor infrastructure makes last mile logistics challenging, JD drones can deliver orders from regional delivery stations to JD's dedicated 'village promoters' in each village, who then distribute the orders directly to customers, shortening delivery times and reducing costs. Many rural residents have traditionally had far fewer buying choices than their urban counterparts. That's because they could purchase goods only from local stores, where they often find higher prices than are typically seen in the cities, and where counterfeit goods remain an issue,"

The company claimed it had about 300,000 village promoters of the delivery service. The company has five different drone models. Some can fly up to 100 kilometers per hour. They can carry a range of parcels weighing from 5 to 15 kilograms. They can travel a maximum of 50 kilometers before they need to be recharged. The company is hoping to have drones that can carry larger loads up to 500 kilograms.

An Amazon representative said last December: "We've started a new private trial in the Cambridge area of England, and on December 7, we completed our first delivery. We will use the data gathered during this beta test and the feedback provided by customers to expand the private trial to more customers over time. We're starting with two customers now, and in the coming months we'll offer participation to dozens of customers living within several miles of our UK facility. And then growing to hundreds more." Some UK citizens have complained about how drones are being used. Figures for April 2016 show there were 10 incidents a day, including allegations of snooping neighbors, burglary, and near-misses with aircraft. The Swiss postal service is already using drones to deliver lab samples.

Swiss Post uses drones for delivering lab samples

The Swiss Post is using autonomous drones to deliver laboratory samples between two hospitals in the city of Lugano with a population of about 150,000 near the Italian border.

The Swiss postal service is partnering with Matternet a California-based drone company. Matternet supplies the drones as well as the flight system. The drones have been flying since the middle of March. The drones are described as follows:

The drones are made by American company Matternet, have a load capacity of up to two kilograms, a range of 20 kilometers, and a top speed of 36 kilometers per hour (10 meters a second). Infrared sensors are used to guide their takeoff and landings, and in the event of an emergency, the drones have a built-in parachute to ensure they fall safely to the ground.

During the past two weeks, the drones have already completed around 70 successful flights. The drones fly completely on their own with no one piloting them. However, Matternet says that it does have personnel monitoring all the flights from a remote location just in case something should go wrong. The drones are small only about 31 inches in diameter. The program has been approved by the Swiss aviation authority for the deliveries to be run in a test phase. By 2018 it is planned to use the drones regularly to ferry supplies between the two hospitals.

There are landing and takeoff pads outside each hospital. Packages are released once the drone touches the ground. The hospital staff load up the drones and then send them off by pressing a button on an app they have been taught to use. The Swiss program puts it ahead of the US where flying a drone beyond the line of sight requires getting a special waiver from the Federal Aviation Authority. Very few waivers have been issued so far. There is a need to establish rules for drones that fly beyond the line of sight.

The use of drones to transport medical samples is not new with the Silicon Valley firm Zipline using fixed-wing craft to carry out such deliveries in Rwanda, but the Swiss tests are the first ever development of autonomous drones in an urban environment according to Swiss Post. Operating drones in towns and cities is challenging because of the risk of civilian injury but Swiss Post claims it is working closely with Swiss aviation regulators.

The drones are particularly suited for delivering the samples since the packages are light and their delivery is often time-sensitive. There is also avoidance of urban traffic. Swiss Post said:“The regular use of drones between the two hospitals will become an everyday occurrence. Trained hospital staff will be able to load the drone independently with a safety box (in which the lab samples are packaged) and launch the drone with a smartphone application. The drone will then fly autonomously along the predefined route to its destination, where the box will be received by another member of staff.”

Flights are to continue until April 4th when an initial evaluation will take place. Further testing is planned during the summer. The drones have duplicates of the autopilot and other important sensors built in as a safety feature. The landing pad emits an infrared signal that can aid the drone make a pinpoint landing. Swiss Post has played a pioneering role in the commercial application of autonomous drone logistics.