UPS To Develop New Delivery Drones With German Drone-Maker Wingcopter

UPS' Flight Forward subsidiary focused on drone delivery is partnering with German drone-maker Wingcopter to develop the next generation of package delivery drones for a variety of use cases in the United States and internationally. GPS World reports: UPS chose Wingcopter for its unmanned aircraft technology and its track record in delivering a variety of goods over long distances in multiple international settings. As part of this collaboration -- UPSFF's first new relationship with a drone manufacturer since its formation -- both companies will work toward earning regulatory certification for a Wingcopter unmanned aircraft to make commercial delivery flights in the United States. It also is a critical step toward building a diverse fleet of drones with varying capabilities to meet potential customer needs.

The Wingcopter drones feature vertical takeoffs and landings in tight spaces, transitioning to efficient, high-speed horizontal flight, enabling ranges suitable for a variety of uses. These capabilities will allow UPSFF to begin developing solutions that, if approved, will go well beyond the healthcare and retail industries to solve long-standing challenges for high-tech, industrial manufacturing, hospitality, entertainment and other customers. [Wincopter's] electric vertical takeoff and landing drones have a patented tilt-rotor mechanism, which enables a seamless transition between two drone modes: multicopter for hovering and fixed-wing for low-noise forward flight. The aerodynamic Wingcopter aircrafts operate with stability even in harsh weather conditions. "Drone delivery is not a one-size-fits-all operation," said Bala Ganesh, vice president of the UPS Advanced Technology Group. "Our collaboration with Wingcopter helps pave the way for us to start drone delivery service in new use-cases. UPS Flight Forward is building a network of technology partners to broaden our unique capability to serve customers and extend our leadership in drone delivery."

Package Throwing Efficiency Intensifies

[bobstreo]

I wonder if they'll just drop packages from 40 or 50 feet during a delivery. Hopefully on the correct property, but it is UPS.

It takes more power and time to actually drop down and hover to "gently" deliver something.

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[blue41]

We are not alone , we are the childrens.

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[nospam007]

"I wonder if they'll just drop packages from 40 or 50 feet during a delivery. Hopefully on the correct property, but it is UPS."

Correct property?
Be glad if it's the correct street or town.

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[Pascoea]

I look forward to retrieving my parcels from the roof. Should be fun.

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[Pascoea]

Must be a fun life, being terrified of progress because of what might possibly go wrong.

Re: Drones are not safe!

[Anonymouse Cowtard]

Oblig. Python ref here [youtu.be]

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[Pascoea]

Nothing that the OP said is false, and it's not Chicken Little/Sky Is Falling, either, it's all perfectly rational

I never said it was false. Sure, those things could happen. However, there is literally nothing on that list that doesn't apply to cars as well. Should be ban cars too? Or should we apply common sense regulation to them so the risk of bad things happening is minimal?

So tell us: do you get all traumatized when things don't go perfectly for you,

Not sure where this, or the whole diatribe about my lack of coding or engineering ability, relates. Being mindful of potential problems is a sign of a good engineer/software developer. Not writing code or designing a thing for fear that so

Nothing to read here .. move on

[RitchCraft]

This technology is far from being useful on any level. There are just too many unknowns that need to be dealt with. At most announcements like these are PR stunts to generate articles as free advertising. "Oooh, looky how tech savvy UPS is". Just like flying cars we'll hear that delivery drones are "only a few years from reality" for the next 50 years.