The first tests of an automated delivery system using drones in an urban environment were held in the city of Brno. The technology allows transporting goods weighing up to 3 kg without the involvement of an operator – this is an important step towards transforming urban logistics.
The testing took place on the territory of the Brno Exhibition Center, where drones moved packages between four points at a distance of up to 2.5 km. The Czech company 3L Robotics is working on this project, which develops not only the drones themselves, but also the entire software and hardware complex. In the future, the system provides for the presence of boxes on rotors, where the user can place the shipment – the drone will pick it up and deliver it to the specified address.
Everything happens automatically: the user simply selects the delivery point, and artificial intelligence itself controls the drone’s route. An operator is not needed on site. The same project uses an electric bicycle with a cargo trailer to deliver parcels to the drop-off area, with the partner company E-café bike.
Currently, the Czech Republic does not allow drone delivery in the city, but tests are allowed in closed spaces: exhibition centers, universities, logistics bases. Such delivery is already operating abroad: in Dublin – food, in London – medical samples and blood. 3L Robotics, in cooperation with ESA, is also creating software for calculating routes based on the Galileo system. The test area is part of the BVV Living Lab project, which allows you to test innovations in a real environment.
This test is the Czech Republic’s first real step towards full-fledged unmanned urban delivery. The combination of automation, environmental friendliness and the absence of the need for human personnel gives drones significant potential for changing logistics in cities. The future is near – and it is flying.
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