Mitsubishi Electric is creating an open marketplace for drone delivery

The latest from CES 2023 is that Mitsubishi Electric is putting together a drone-based logistics operations management platform called AnyMile. This open marketplace, we are told, will bring together shippers, drone manufacturers, drone operators, and ancillary service providers onto a single platform, allowing them to easily schedule and manage cargo deliveries via drones.

Expect to find all kinds of aircraft – multirotor, fixed-wing, single-rotor, and fixed-wing hybrid VTOL – on AnyMile, with Mitsubishi Electric collaborating with several drone companies including Aerialoop, Elroy Air, EVA, Iris Automation, One Sky, MightyFly, Toofoon, Velary, and Volatus Aerospace.

The idea is to enable businesses to seamlessly manage their shipments, drone fleets, and infrastructure services. This would include tasks such as scheduling cargo pick-up at a specific location, tracking delivery to multiple destinations, and drone maintenance. The platform would also give users live situational awareness of their shipments and drones. In addition, businesses will be able to perform routine operational tasks, such as generating customer invoices and booking services for drone refueling, directly from AnyMile.

All in all, Mitsubishi Electric’s new offering will act as an end-to-end resource planning and management system for drone logistics. As Zafer Sahinoglu, vice president and general manager of Mitsubishi Electric Innovation Center, puts it:

The addition of AnyMile to Mitsubishi Electric’s suite of products supports the organization’s long-range vision to digitally transform our society. Drone operators, corporate shippers, and transportation and logistics companies will benefit from access to shipment, fleet, and service management applications, allowing for faster and more convenient deliveries.

Read: Japan eases flight rules to boost residential drone delivery

The public launch of Mitsubishi’s drone delivery marketplace is scheduled for March 31, 2023.

It’s worth pointing out that the US has invested upward of $9 billion in the drone industry since 2020 to support the increasing demand for efficient product delivery and promote carbon neutrality.

Read: Ranked: Top drone companies for remote sensing, package delivery in 2022