Considering Japan has placed a ban on recreational use of drones in urban areas, government officials have given drone makers the authority to test for drone deliveries.
Drone maker Autonomous Control System Laboratory (ACSL) as well as e-commerce giant Rakuten have officially began the test of drone delivering. The aim for the researchers has been to deliver goods in densely packed urban areas of Japan, in the safest way possible, while avoiding collisions with power lines, street signs and skyscrapers (Fortune, 11/04/16).
Two tests where conducted with different items being carried by the drone, however both landed within urban areas of Japan. The first carried a bottle of of wine in a basket took off from a shopping centre rooftop and landed at a nearby park. The other held medical supplies and landed on the rooftop of a high-rise apartment building.
The drones used to transport the items in both tests were programmed by the ACSL to fly autonomously using GPS coordinates.
Overall, the tests proved to be a huge success!
According to Fortune, drone delivery services to homes has been estimated to be up and running by 2020. Japans local government has proposed several built condominiums with landing areas on their balconies for drones to land safely with goods.
Cool!!!!