Matternet expands operations with Japan Airlines partnership

Delivery drone company Matternet is expanding its Asia operations with its latest partnership with Japan Airlines to bring drone delivery to Tokyo, Japan. The partnership will see Matternet’s M2 drone system deployed as a part of Japan’s drone logistics project.

Matternet is working with Japan Airlines (JAL) to explore drone delivery opportunities in Japan. The partnership will see JAL using Matternet’s drone ecosystem with the future possibility of playing a major part in the country’s drone delivery network.

Andreas Raptopoulos, CEO of Matternet said:

“We are very excited to expand our operations to Asia and partner with JAL to show the incredibly positive impact of drone delivery to healthcare Japan’s cities, starting with the Tokyo metropolitan area. Matternet’s drone delivery platform enables extremely fast and predictable transport of urgent items and stands to revolutionize how healthcare and e-commerce are delivered in cities and megacities around the world.”

For now, the two plan to deliver prescription pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and blood units to mimic emergency scenarios for future use. The drones will be flying beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and will fly above the densely populated Tokyo to transports goods from Mediceo Corp’s East Tokyo warehouse to St. Luke’s International Hospital.

Tomohiro Nishihata, Japan Airlines’ Managing Executive Officer of Innovation followed with:

“Japan Airlines is eager to explore the future of its air logistics business with the implementation of drone delivery. We aim to contribute to improving healthcare and solving logistics issues through our partnership with Matternet.”

Matternet’s solution

Matternet offers a three-part solution, giving its customers everything they need to get drone deliveries up and flying. The first part is the M2 Drone, a custom-made drone that allows payloads of up 2 kilograms to be delivered up to 20 kilometers away. Second is the Station, an easy-to-use drone hub that allows authorized personal to place the package into the drone through an automated system. The station also charges the battery allowing its to fly 24/7/365.

The final part is the cloud platform bringing everything together in an accessible dashboard. The platform allows the drone to operated remotely via the Matternet network. The platform automatically receives the customer’s request, builds a flight plan from it, sends the drone up, and then monitors it throughout the flight to make sure everything is going to plan.

Photo: Matternet