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Singapore Post completes first mail delivery by drone

Xinhua, October 8, 2015 Adjust font size:

Singapore Post(SingPost) has successfully trialled a post using an unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV) for point-to-point recipient-authenticated mail delivery, the company said in a statement on Thursday.

The test flight took five minutes, carrying a letter and a T- shirt in a packet from mainland Singapore to Pulau Ubin, which is about two kilometers.

"This is the first time in the world a postal service has successfully used an UAV for point-to-point recipient- authenticated mail delivery," said SingPost.

The drone was built upon the Pixhawk Steadidrone platform by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) Labs, and is tailored for use in a challenging environment like Singapore. It is equipped with enhanced safety features, and comes with a prototype app designed with security and verification features to ensure mail reaches its intended recipient.

The UAV has the capacity to carry a payload of up to half a kilogram, fly at a height of up to 45 meters and travel for 2.3 kilometers. The aim of this flight was to test the drone technology and safety boundaries.

"The successful conclusion of this trial shows how SingPost is thinking out of the box and its willingness to expand its traditional mail delivery model in innovative ways," said IDA Managing Director Jacqueline Poh.

"There is immense potential in UAV technology for last-mile mail and ecommerce delivery. As SingPost transforms into an ecommerce logistics enabler, we will continue to collaborate with industry leaders and chart new frontiers," said Bernard Leong, Head of Digital Services at SingPost. Endi