The drone delivery ecosystem has just hit a new milestone! We now have an all-weather drone that can deliver up to three packages to multiple locations during one flight.
Drone delivery company Wingcopter, which was recently named as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum, has spruced up its hat with a new feather. The German drone manufacturer has announced the world’s first fully automatic triple-drop delivery drone: the Wingcopter 198.
Making drone delivery cost-effective
The drone is an all-electric, vertical-take-off-and-landing (eVTOL), fixed-wing drone that has been designed from the ground up to carry up to three different payloads. Providing flexibility in the size and shape of the packages, this new delivery system addresses the key issue of the cost of parcel delivery for commercial delivery drones.
The Wingcopter 198 can carry a maximum of 6 kg on one battery charge of 75 km. With a lesser payload weight (1 kg), the drone can travel up to 95 km – no matter the weather conditions.
Tom Plümmer, CEO of Wingcopter, hopes the drone will establish a new industry standard in drone technology and drone-based logistics. He says:
The Wingcopter 198 is a game-changer for drone-based deliveries, ready to create logistical highways in the sky. It can be perfectly utilized as a fleet solution in delivery networks to create new opportunities, everywhere.
Incredible safety standards and risk detection
The Wingcopter 198 has an advanced collision avoidance system built in, including ADS-B in, FLARM, and Remote ID. The company says it has also packed the 5G-enabled drone with multiple optical sensing cameras to detect obstacles. An AI system has also been integrated to assess real-time risks and initiate evasive flight maneuvers, if necessary.
A new control station software ensures that one operator can control a fleet of up to 10 drones simultaneously. And an advanced management technology keeps tabs on the performance data from different components to avoid unplanned downtimes, improve parts reliability, and lower maintenance costs.
As Jonathan Hesselbarth, CTO of Wingcopter, explains:
We applied the many years of experience with the Wingcopter 178, the model that literally enabled us to take off as a company, and applied it to the development of the Wingcopter 198, optimizing every design aspect for ease of use, efficiency and safety. The result is what we believe to be the most advanced, versatile and efficient delivery drone solution in its category.
With production starting shortly, the company has opened up the order form for early access. For a refundable deposit of €1,000, you can apply for the signature edition here. But watch this intro video first:
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