Efficient Assistance Offerings - Drones transport food from the weekly market to the village.
No more neighborhood shops or corner stores? In the northwestern part of Brandenburg, drones are now being utilized to provide residents of remote villages with their everyday necessities. In the township of Wusterhausen/Dosse in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, a federally funded trial will commence on Friday: vegetables, fruit, cakes, and bread will be delivered by aerial vehicles. In South Brandenburg, drones are also starting their flight operations at the Welzow airfield to dispatch paper mail. A potential hindrance could be severe winds and storms: the flying devices should not take off due to safety reasons.
Varying providers are constantly testing the use of unmanned aircraft to supply country homes from the sky. Last year, a pilot project was initiated in the southern region of Hesse for food delivery coupled with a bicycle. Despite numerous experiments and research initiatives, it is uncertain when drones will become commonplace in the daily lives of many individuals. Regular operations are not yet planned in the retail sector or at the German Post Office.
"Marketswallow" carrying market purchases en route
In Wusterhausen, drones will transport goods from merchants at the market to three village districts, up to 12 kilometers away, as Martin Schneider, the Berlin-based company Luftlabor's project coordinator, revealed. At least a dozen households will attempt the "Marketswallow" free of charge. Four drones are prepared for this task, capable of taking off in light winds and light rain, noted managing director Robin Kellermann. Customers can place their orders online and by phone.
The cargo ought not be too heavy: the drones can transport up to three kilograms of goods in a box. The food ordered from the market is not delivered directly to the front door of the households in the obscure villages. The pilot testers in the rural communities are required to collect the goods at designated pick-up points, where the drone also lands.
Drones connected to 5G network to deliver mail in Welzow
Brandenburg's Minister of Economics, Jörg Steinbach (SPD), will witness the commencement of the first drone flight carrying paper mail at the Welzow airfield (Spree-Neiße-District) on Friday. Delivery vehicles will be equipped with these autonomous flying machines. They take over the final leg of the journey to the recipient via a 5G network connection. The aim: Ill-timed treks to remote villages should be evaded.
DHL will not introduce routine operations with drones
The retail trade is open to innovative solutions, as the head of the regional and transportation policy department, Michael Reink, from the German Retail Association noted. "At the moment, it is unclear if and when a frequent delivery of goods by drone will become prevalent in Germany." So far, drones have primarily been used for expedient deliveries such as prescription medicines with minimal weight. "However, the technical challenges are significant, so it's currently not feasible for heavier packages to be flown by drone."
DHL has been testing a so-called parcel kite for research purposes for several years. Medicines, for example, were flown to the North Sea island of Juist and the German Alps. "All research projects are concluded, and further projects with the DHL parcel kite or a routine delivery service for mail in Germany are not currently envisaged," logistics company DHL reported.
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- In the future, DHL might consider using drones for mail delivery, but as of now, they have no routine operations planned.
- The pilot project in Wusterhausen will use drones to transport food from the market to three village districts, a service offered by the Berlin-based company Luftlabor.
- The drones in this project can carry up to three kilograms of goods, and customers will collect their orders at designated pick-up points.
- Drones are also being used in South Brandenburg to dispatch paper mail at the Welzow airfield, using a 5G network connection for the final leg of the journey.
- Regular operations in the retail sector or at the German Post Office are uncertain, with several challenges to overcome in terms of technical capabilities.
- German Post, or Deutsche Post, has not yet planned regular drone operations for mail delivery despite its openness to innovative solutions.
- Last year, a pilot project was initiated in Hesse for food delivery using drones and bicycles, a collaboration between varying providers and regular operations are not yet planned.
- Brandenburg's Minister of Economics, Jörg Steinbach, is overseeing the commencement of the first drone flight carrying paper mail at Welzow airfield to avoid treks to remote villages.
