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| An official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, right, hands a woman a box of goods delivered via drone at Sejong Lake Park, Saturday. Yonhap |
By Lee Kyung-min
The Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport said Sunday that it has successfully demonstrated the operation of delivery drones, an achievement the ministry says will help foster the new method of delivery to meet soaring demand for contact-free services amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The commercial use of five domestically produced multi-purpose drones is expected to bolster related technologies in the fuel cell industry, public safety and security via strengthened means of surveillance and rescue, backed by a "regulatory sandbox," the government's initiative seeking to ease rules on budding tech firms in order to boost innovation.
According to the ministry, five drones flew between 1.5 kilometers and 2.5 kilometers at a speed of between 14.4 kilometers per hour and 28.8 kph at an altitude of between 45 meters and 80 meters to deliver facial protective masks, hand sanitizers, hamburgers, a box of fried chicken and a pack of macarons, near Sejong Lake Park, Saturday at around 5 p.m.
The delivery time for all items averaged less than 10 minutes after orders were placed. Featured in the demonstration were automatic landing, departure and location tracking via apps that process order requests and confirm receipt of goods.
Four participating drone makers were Doosan Mobility Innovation (DMI), subsidiary of Doosan Group, XDRONE, an Incheon-based firm, P-Square, or Pilot square, based in Boeun, North Chungcheong Province and PNU DRONE, a venture firm set up with technologies developed by Pusan National University.
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| A drone carrying a box of facial masks arrives at Sejong Lake Park, Saturday. Yonhap |
The ministry said the service will have to identify a niche market given its lack of competitive edge over the current land courier services, due to limits involving maximum payload and weather conditions. Not being able to deliver at the customers' doorstep in high-rise buildings is another challenge.
The ministry added, the government and the industry will have to find ways to help put the new delivery service in place for everyday demands while continuing cooperation with relevant authorities and business operators to overcome challenges ahead.
"The drones cannot fully replace a land courier system but can be used for light weight delivery by taking the fastest routes when streets are congested," a ministry official said. "Another strength is that they can deliver to remote areas unreachable by car, a reason why the technology is expected to benefit residents in rural areas. Saturday's demonstration is a clear indication that the commercial use of drones is possible for a safe, mid- to long-distance delivery."
Delivery drones are increasingly used as a viable back-up to in-person delivery amid the pandemic, pursued by many global multinationals and logistics firms including Amazon and DHL.
