The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has type certified Amber Wings, a sister company of Chennai-based air mobility startup The ePlane Company, for their hybrid cargo drone. Amber Wings says this makes them the first Indian firm to get their hybrid cargo drone approved.
Companies must apply for type certificates in order to meet regulations pertaining to the safety, security, and dependability of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) under the Drone Rules, 2021. Amber Wing’s drone, ATVA-1, has been authorised for commercial use 24 hours a day, including at night, a privilege that has not been granted to any other cargo drone operator in India.
The startup will now progressively launch pilots throughout India after receiving certification. Notably, the business, which was incubated at IIT Madras, has two drones authorised by the DGCA: Vihaa for agritech and ATVA-1 for logistics.
Vihaa and ATVA-1
The ATVA-1 is a fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone with a wingspan of 1.7 meters, while the Vihaa is an agri-drone with a 10-litre tank and a 30-acre daily spraying capability. With a tested range of more than 55 km even when fully laden, the ATVA-1 can fly up to 60 km in straight-line circumstances and carry weights of up to 2 kg.
According to the business, 10,000 km of flight testing and six prototypes went into creating the drone. Using real-time kinematic (RTK) location, this drone can also make precise rooftop landings, which makes it ideal for densely populated Indian cities. Amber Wings hopes to leverage this element to propel its logistics strategy.
The ePlane Company, which was founded in 2019 by Chakravarthy and Pranjal Mehta, is creating electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that can be used for both passenger and freight transportation inside urban areas. The ePlane Company and Amber Wings are the two primary businesses that operate under the umbrella of Ubifly Technologies, the company’s fundamental parent corporation.
Amber Wings specialises in drones; however, The ePlane Company is the main company focused on creating manned eVTOL aircraft. Originally created as an internal brand, the latter was recently split off as a distinct organisation.
Amber Wings Now Eyes for BVLOS and Yellow Zone Access Permission
Following its DGCA accreditation, Amber Wings is currently pursuing two crucial regulatory clearances—yellow zone access and Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) permissions—that would enable it to greatly expand its operations.
Drones are currently prohibited from flying farther than a few kilometres from their takeoff location by BVLOS laws. The startup is creating a strong three-tier tracking system that combines satellite-based communication (satcom), LTE/4G mobile connectivity, and radio frequency (RF) communication in order to get around this. Regulators will be able to automatically monitor drone flights over vast distances once this arrangement is proven, opening up deep urban and intercity routes.
Amber Wings is also getting ready to operate in yellow zones, which are regions surrounding cities and airports where aviation is prohibited. Amber Wings anticipates that yellow zone operations will also be authorised following the conclusion of BVLOS trials.
It currently intends to conduct its first pilots in green zones, particularly in tier II and III cities where there are fewer restrictions on airspace.
As of September 2024, 10,208 type-certified commercial drones were registered on the Digital Sky platform, according to information provided to the Parliament by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol. In response to a query, the MoS stated that 96 type certificates had been granted thus far to various unmanned aircraft system (UAS) types by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) based on their “purpose.” Of these, 31 are “logistics and surveillance-based,” while 65 are based on agriculture. The internet platform used by the DGCA to oversee unmanned aircraft systems in India is called DigitalSky.
Additionally, he stated that around 86% of Indian airspace is “green” and open to drone operations. Three zones—red, yellow, and green—are designated for drone operations in Indian airspace under the current regulations. Drones with an “all-up weight” of up to 500 kg can operate in the green zone without any license. Red zones are designated as “no-drone zones,” while yellow zones require approval from the relevant air traffic control authority.
The response also mentioned that there are currently 9,969 “airspace red zones” and 147 “airport red zones.” He went on to say that there are 294 “airport yellow zones” overall, which are between 5 and 8 km and 8 and 12 miles.
DGCA to Chalk Regulatory Framework for VTOL and eVTOL
The DGCA intends to create a regulatory framework for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and eVTOL aircraft, Mohol stated in response to a different query. Similar to a helicopter, an eVTOL is a battery-powered aircraft that can carry two to six people, including a pilot. Informally, they are known as flying taxis or air taxis.
The minister also stated that new requirements for advanced air mobility (AAM) solutions’ operations, such as airworthiness/type certification, pilot certification and training, and other operational procedures, will be established by the new regulations. Vertiports, air routes, and other infrastructure required for safe and effective AAM operations would be built in accordance with the regulatory framework, Mohol continued.
Using Unmanned Aircraft Traffic Management (UTM) systems in conjunction with current Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems to optimise air traffic flow in the airspace, de-conflict the movements of multiple small aircraft, and integrate autonomous drones in the same airspace, the operations would be managed both strategically and tactically.
Government Collaborating With National and International Players
According to Mohol, discussions with a range of domestic and international stakeholders are presently taking place in order to provide guidance materials on a number of advanced air mobility-related topics. He went on to say that the DGCA is working on the subject in coordination with organisations like the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
This occurs at a time when the government is doing everything it can to support the domestic drone industry. To support the industry, the Centre announced the liberalised drone regulations in 2021. The Centre released the UAS certification program in 2022 in an effort to create a worldwide drone certification and accreditation system and implement suitable safety measures for commercial use. The ministry also changed the drone regulations last year, doing away with the need for a passport to register, de-register, and transfer drones.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Aerobotics.
As the global population reaches 7.9 billion in November 2022 and is projected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050, food security has become one of the major concerns across the world. With the scarcity of resources, there is a need to leverage advanced technology in agricultural practices to expand agricultural outputs.
It has been reported that with emerging agritech startups, the global agrotechnology market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 12.1% during 2020-2027. Since agriculture remains the main source of livelihood for a huge proportion of people, its crucial to address agricultural challenges.
Aerobotics is an agritech company set up for helping farmers improve their crop performance and production with AI-driven data analytics. Going through this article, you will know important details of the company- its founders, startup story, services, funding, growth, and more.
Aerobotics is a data analytics South Africa-based company that uses aerial imagery and machine learning algorithms for detecting pests and diseases in tree crops and optimizing crop performance for farmers worldwide. The company makes it possible for farmers to interact with this valuable data through its web and mobile applications.
It has two main offices in Africa and the United States along with Sales Managers working remotely and spending their day on the ground with its growers across the world. Moreover, the company has been able to help farmers manage more than 65 million trees with clients in 18 countries, including America, Africa, Australia, Spain, and Europe.
James Paterson and Benji Meltzer are co-founders of the company.
James Paterson and Benji Meltzer – Co-founders, Aerobotics
James Paterson
Along with the co-founder, James Paterson is the CEO of Aerobotics. He completed his Master’s in MSc, Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Benji Meltzer
Benji Meltzer is a co-founder and CTO of Aerobotics. He graduated from Imperial College London with a degree in MSc, Biomedical/Medical Engineering – Neurotechnology Specialization. He has also held the role of Business Analyst at The Cyest Corporation and Operations and Logistics Manager at Uber.
The size of the company’s team today is over 80 people, ranging from agronomists, engineers, creatives, product developers, and customer service experts.
Aerobotics – Startup Story
James Paterson grew up on a farm located outside of Cape Town and there he learned the challenges faced by his family and community of growers. After years, he met Benji Meltzer and they both decided to see how their combined skills can be used in aeronautics, machine learning, and aerial imagery to solve crop-related problems. They took drones and flew them on James’ family farm.
Soon, they were able to validate that artificial intelligence could be used to process aerial imagery and identify problems invisible to the farmers. Aerobotics was established as an agritech startup in 2014. They generated insights for more than 100 million trees to help growers, insurers, and investors improve their production and profitability.
Aerobotics – Mission and Vision
The vision and mission of Aerobotics are to provide intelligent tools for feeding the world.
Aerobotics – Products and Services
The company is known for offering two primary solutions – Farm and Insure. It offers a Tree Insights service that supports citrus, pome, stone, berries, grapes, nuts, olives, subtropical fruit, and pomegranates.
Moreover, it offers traditional crop insurance, precision crop insurance, detailed acre analysis, and optimal premiums through Insure solution. Aerobotics has developed two apps named Aeroview Scout and Aeroview InField.
Welcome to Aeroview: Getting Started
Aerobotics – Business Model
Aerobotics uses a combination of drone and satellite imagery for providing its customers with valuable insights into their farms. The imagery is further uploaded onto servers and then data analysis is conducted. With the help of data procured by the company, farmers can identify underperforming areas, including nutrient deficiencies, pest infestations, and irrigation problems, and also monitor the progression of the season.
Moreover, its advanced tree-counting technology aids farmers to know the plan count per block, per crop, and per cultivator. The company delivers customers’ Tree Insights within 4 to 7 days for serviced flights after their data has been flown and 3 to 7 days for self-serviced flights when the upload is completed.
Aerobotics has undertaken 7 funding rounds. The latest funding round- ‘Series B’ took place on December 11, 2020. Currently, it’s supported by 17 investors with 6 as lead investors, including FMO, Cathay Innovation, Naspers, BossaNova Investimentos, and Endeavor.
Date
Round
Number of Investors
Money Raised
Lead Investor
December 11, 2020
Series B
7
$13.5 million
Naspers Foundry
May 20, 2020
Venture Round
1
$5.5 million
Naspers Foundry
February 27, 2019
Series A
1
$1.5 million
Paper Plane Ventures
July 18, 2018
Series A
4
$2 million
Nedbank
November 29, 2017
Non-Equity, Assistance
1
$50K
Google Launchpad Accelerator
August 1, 2017
Seed Round
3
$42K
4Di Capital, Savannah Fund
April 26, 2017
Pre Seed Round
2
$15K
–
Aerobotics – Patents and Trademarks
The intellectual property of Aerobotics comprises 4 registered patents primarily in the category of ‘Computing’ and ‘Calculating.’
Aerobotics – Growth
The estimated annual revenue of the company in 2022 is $12.9 million per year ($145,000 per employee). Moreover, the employee count increased by 3%, and monthly web visits growth grew by 18.48%.
Aerobotics – Awards and Achievements
In the last 2 years, Aerobotics successfully captured 20% of South Africa’s citrus market and 40% of its macadamia market in the last six months. In addition, the company has received multiple industry-related prestigious awards. A few major achievements are:
Selected as one of 24 startups to be part of Google’s Launchpad Accelerator in 2018
Won AfricArea VivaTech Challenge
President Macron Tech Award
Innovator of the Year Award at the All Africa Business Leader Awards
The Drone Industry in India has recently flourished due to various uses in the Defence sectors along with civilian and commercial organizations. One of the major Defence Laboratory in India DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation has invested greatly in the Research and Development of Drones with a focus on the needs of Indian Defence scenarios.
In India, Revenue in the Drones segment amounts to $23.62 Mn in 2023. The market will show annual growth of 8.12% (CAGR 2023-2027). The drone volume is expected to amount to 100,000 pieces by 2027 and will show a growth of 14.6% in 2024.
Revenue in the Drones Segment in India from 2014 to 2027
Modern drones are easily accessible, and the market is full of brilliant flying machines. If you’re looking to buy a drone, then you have to know the functionalities and features of the drone.
Drones are of major use in:
Assisting aid agencies during humanitarian crises and disaster management,
monitoring wildlife activity, animal tagging, and conducting anti-poaching patrols,
helping farmers with their fields with a simple bird’s eye view of their field,
providing a new perspective to journalists.
Thus, there is a huge spike in the use of drones in sectors like GIS Mapping, Topographical Surveys, Industrial inspections, Powerline inspections, pipeline inspections, railway line inspections, etc.
Here is a list of the Top Drone Startups in India which have gained acceleration in the past few years:
Vipul Singh, Yeshwanth Reddy, Suhas Banshiwala, and Nikhil Upadhye
Founded in
2013
Headquarters
Bangalore
Aarav Unmanned Systems Homepage
AUS builds autonomous drones that come with ease of operation and can be operated by any user without any specialized training. AUS is the undisputed leader of commercial drones in India as it has served key players across private and public sectors. Aarav Unmanned Systems has also developed and designed Nayan, a quadrotor for developers and researchers.
AUS claims to be performing 3D mapping & Image Processing, precision agriculture, geographical mapping and survey, aerial photography, disaster/event management, and defense surveillance.
Aero 360 provides end-to-end drone solutions for enterprises including Turnkey services, Drone tool kits, Data Processing and analysis, Training, and consulting Drone repair services. It also provides high-resolution aerial images & videos to enable better scoping, assessment, planning, surveying, design, inspection & maintenance decisions.
It provides extensive local support for repairs & maintenance through a network of drone repair centers for your Drones. The company also provides solutions including data acquisition, processing, and analysis globally through Pilot Partner Network & Centralised Data Processing for your projects.
IdeaForge
Founders
Ankit Mehta, Rahul Singh, Ashish Bhat, and Vipul Joshi
Founded in
2007
Headquarters
Mumbai
IdeaForge Homepage
IdeaForge was founded in 2007 by Ankit Mehta, Rahul Singh, Ashish Bhat, and Vipul Joshi and is engaged in the development of unmanned aerial systems that offer usability to user-centric innovations and designs. The organization is also a licensed manufacturer of UAVs approved by the Ministry of Defence. It also provides the flexibility to customize products for an array of requirements.
Its first product, Netra, is a man-portable autonomous UAV for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance of moving and fixed targets. It also offers Netra V series autonomous and a man-portable small unmanned aerial vehicle that weighs less than 3 kgs.
CRON Systems:
Founders
Tushar Chhabra, Saurav Agarwal and Tomer Ktzenellebogen
Founded in
2015
Headquarters
Delhi
CRON Systems Homepage
A defense technology startup, Cron Systems was founded in the year 2015 by Tushar Chhabra and co-founders Saurav Agarwal and Tomer Ktzenellebogen, which builds Multi-sensor enabled intrusion detection systems and drones, and perimeter defense equipment. It is a leading provider of sensing products and perception software that brings vision to UAVs, automobiles, mapping, security, and other industries to enhance situational awareness.
Indian Border Security Force also installed several Cron laser walls along borders to keep a vigil on intrusion attempts across Indian borders. Cron also holds top strategic partners and investors which include YourNest Venture capital, Techstars Adelaide, and Cisco Launchpad. CRON systems offerings also include the Kavach series of advanced multi-sensor scanners and SenseEdge perception software.
DeTect Technologies:
Founders
Daniel Raj David, Harikrishnan AS, Karthik R, Tarun Mishra, and Krishnan Balasubramanian
Founded in
2016
Headquarters
Chennai
Detect Technologies Homepage
DeTect Technologies was founded by Daniel Raj David, Harikrishnan AS, Karthik R, Tarun Mishra, and Krishnan Balasubramanian in the year 2016 in Chennai with a vision of providing infrastructure services to the industrial sector including drone-based monitoring of critical infrastructure.
The company focuses on developing products that help in predicting the maintenance of oil and gas pipelines and predicting leakages. DeTect also develops a semi-autonomous drone called Noctua for the inspection of boilers and other O&G components.
Drone Tech Lab
Founders
Biswajit Dey, and Ritesh Kanu
Founded in
2014
Headquarters
Kolkata
Drone Tech Lab Homepage
The company Rchobbytech Solutions Private Limited has been greatly functioning and is excelling by offering outclassing products and services. The company manufactures Agricultural Drones, Pesticide Spraying Drones, Crop Monitoring Drones, Surveillance Drones, Drones Cameras, and Photography Drones.
Being a service provider, the company has gained expertise in offering Drone Manufacturing, Aerial Photography, Surveillance Drone, and Digital Photography services to customers. The company has also gained expertise in offering Drone Manufacturing, Aerial Photography, Surveillance Drone, and Digital Photography services to customers.
The company provides intelligent data using drones. Data collected from a drone’s view using required sensors help you to take a necessary decision about your construction project, industrial premise, historical architecture, agricultural field, or any other land. Indrones solutions also like to consider UAVs as a tool that can be used, by soldiers to gather real-time situational awareness, by a surveyor to get better data, by a farmer to assess crop health, and by filmmakers to bring in shots that were never possible before.
While being a revolutionary tool, UAVs also need to be easy to use, affordable, and most importantly, reliable, and safe. The sensors in drones can estimate dimensions like the breadth and height of any structure like a water tank or warehouse giving us an approx idea about the volume.
Conclusion
Innovation has made us believe that great things can happen and will happen. People around the world are innovating new and exciting things that will make our lives easier. Every entrepreneur has a firm belief to make this world a little better. This has led to some exciting and emerging innovations. Drones are one of them. Be ready to get a parcel delivered to your doorstep by a drone in the future. Isn’t it exciting? This has given rise to a lot of startups that investing their time and energy in making wonderful drones. Let’s wait and watch what new device or machine gets innovated in the future.
FAQs
Are drones allowed in India?
UIN for drones mandatory: No drone can be owned or operated in India unless it has been allotted a Unique Identification Number (UIN), which will be issued by the DGCA.
Are drone cameras banned in India?
According to India’s national aviation authority, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, flying a drone is legal in India, but we recommend being aware of and compliant with the drone regulations listed below before doing so.
Are drones worth buying?
If you wish to enhance your photos and/or videos, are looking for unique ways to simplify the way you do business, or are just searching for a fun weekend project, then a drone may be worth your time and money. The decision to purchase your very own drone can be difficult, especially if you’re on a budget.
Do I need a license for a drone in India?
All drones except those in the Nano category must be registered and issued a Unique Identification Number (UIN). A permit is required for commercial drone operations (except for those in the Nano category flown below 50 feet and those in the Micro category flown below 200 feet).
Use of drones for getting materials across difficult terrains is a familiar picture to all of us. The usage of drones can be dated back to World War 1 where they have carried out their respective tasks in unimaginable terrains in the most efficient manner. Over the last few years, drones have become an important part of many businesses like photography and delivery systems.
Drones have especially become popular when it comes to packaging delivery operations as it saves a lot of money on manpower, operations and maintenance. Moreover, it also reduces the room for mistakes. It is expected that global package delivery operations will be valued at over 6000 million dollars by the end of 20206, growing at a rate of 53% every year from 2021 to 2026.
In view of these dazzling statistics, several drone delivery startups have mushroomed globally in a very short span of time. This article will look at the drone delivery startups that are based in the United States.
Founded in 2019, Mighty Fly delivers supplies to medicines, spare parts, and the mining and gas industries. Apart from delivering goods to remote locations with the help of heavy cargo aircraft, they also provide customised drone services.
This drone delivery startup was founded by Manal Habib, and Scott Parker and has its headquarters in San Francisco. They hope to restructure the ways in which logistics were perceived through efficient designs and plans in a cost-effective manner.
2. UPS Flight Forward
Founder: Myron Scott Wright
Founded: 2019
UPS Flight Forward Drone
UPS Flight Forward is a drone delivery service by UPS that focuses primarily on delivering medical supplies to different regions across the United States. They have expanded their base by partnering with various other similar firms like Matternet, CVS, WingCopter etc so as to make the most out of this next-generation technology.
3. Volansi
Founder: Hannan Parvizian and Wesley Zheng
Founded: 2015
Volansi Voly 50
One of the top drone delivery and aerial logistics company Volansi is based in California and was founded by Hannan Parvizian and Wesley Zheng in 2015. They are specialised in delivering shipments over long ranges. Since they have fixed delivery routes, the customers can get their deliveries within a very short span of time.
Their long-range services have helped in expanding drone delivery services even to very remote areas. Recently they released VOLY 50 series, which is an unmanned, multi-role, VTOL aircraft that has a better flight range and flexible payloads.
4. Matternet
Founder: Andreas Raptopoulos
Founded: 2011
Headquartered in California, Matternet offers completely automated drone services that are available on-demand. Their drones are completely powered by batteries. They were the first ones to power vaccine drone delivery in the US.
Matternet has developed easy-to-use stations across operational routes so as to ensure proper battery exchange and automated payload. They have received total funding of USD 31,140,701 as of October 2021.
5. Flirtey
Founders: Ahmed Haider, Matthew Sweeny, and Tom Bass
Founded: 2013
Flirtey Drone
Founded by Ahmed Haider, Matthew Sweeny, and Tom Bass, Flirtey provides an independent drone delivery service to deliver mail, food and medicines. It was founded in 2013. They use automated drones. This small step has saved the startup a lot of money that would have otherwise been spent on cumbersome logistics and operations.
Apart from their path-breaking vision, they are also the first startup to carry out an FAA-approved drone delivery in the US. They are also the first ones to have a commercial drone delivery service in the US as well.
6. Zipline
Founders: Keenan Wyrobek, Keller Rinaudo and Will Hetzler
Founded: 2014
Zipline Drone
Zipline is one of the most popular drone delivery startups in the US. They are known for their automated drones that carry out the delivery of blood and other important medical supplies.
They have a network of hospitals that are in turn connected to the patients who will require these supplies on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. These deliveries are carried out by leveraging proprietary fixed winged drones. It was founded in 2014 by Keenan Wyrobek, Keller Rinaudo and Will Hetzler.
7. Shield AI
Founders: Ryan Tseng and Brandon Tseng
Founded: 2014
Shield AI Drone
Founded in 2014, Shield AI is headquartered in San Franciso. They manufacture autonomous drones that are used for patrolling and surveillance. They have also developed a deep neural network-based system that suits them best for battlefield applications. They primarily cater to first respondents and law enforcement personnel.
8. Google Wing
Founder: –
Founded: 2018
Wing Drone
The Wing is a subsidiary of Alphabet that provides drone delivery services over small ranges. They are the first ones to receive air carrier certification from FAA. Their drones can carry small packets that weigh less than 3.1 pounds. They ensure that the customers don’t come into contact with these drones by delivering packages 20 feet above the ground.
9. Ware
Founders: Ian Smith and Joseph Moster
Founded: 2019
Ware Drone
Founded by Ian Smith and Joseph Moster, Ware focuses on self-flying autonomous drones. They have blended their expertise in robotics and machine learning for better delivery experiences. They have connected various distribution centres with respective warehouses so as to make the process of delivery smooth.
Drone delivery package systems have paved the way for the inception of many startups in the United States of America. Apart from the growth of technology and required logistics, the government is also very supportive of the developments. Various rules and regulations that ensure the safety and security of the people associated with this system encourage better research and innovation in this region.
Apart from that distribution is an inexhaustible area which only expands with the passage of time. In that case, there will not be any shortage of funding as well. If you look at all the startups that were mentioned above, each one of them is extensively funded by multiple investors which is evidently reflected in the kind of work that they do. The drone delivery system is a budding area of technology that has the potential to reduce global geographical disparity.
In our attempts to create a global village out of this world, the strengthening of drones and related AI platforms is of prime importance. However, it is also to be noted that the technology that serves the people through drones can also be misused for various illegal activities. Hence, while research and development in this area are encouraged, it is also important to institute appropriate checks and balances. In that way, this budding technology can benefit the whole of humanity.
FAQs
What is the biggest drone delivery company?
UPS Flight Forward, DHL Parcelcopter, Wing, Matternet, Zipline, Flytrex, and Flirtey are some of the leading drone delivery startups.
Which company started drone delivery?
Wing by Alphabet was the first company that launched its commercial drone delivery service in October 2019.
What companies are leading drone technology?
DJI, Yuneec, Skydio, and Kespry are some of the leading drone companies in the world.
Is drone delivery the future?
Yes, Drones have proven to be great for many logistics companies around the world. In the near future, we might witness drones delivering medicines, food and much more.
Our world is nothing less than a Sci-Fi movie, thanks to the technologies among which we are living and also those that are getting invented. Every day we get to see new technological inventions to make our life easier. Twenty years ago no one would have believed that we would get our delivery packages through a kind of robot that can fly and can be controlled by a remote. In the present time, it is the reality.
Technology has evolved in such a way, that nothing seems impossible now. From robots to drones every invention is coming in handy these days. In this article, we will talk about Google’s Wing and how it is going to change the way of drone delivery. So let’s get right into the business.
“Drones can be useful tools, and I am all about useful tools. One of my mottos is ‘the right tool for the right job.” -Martha Stewart
As mentioned before, a drone is a small aerial vehicle that can be controlled by a remote or software-controlling system and doesn’t need a human pilot to function. Now, coming to drone delivery, it basically means delivery done through these aerial vehicles. Drone delivery is used to deliver small packages to consumers. With the help of these drones, groceries, takeaways and medicines can be delivered.
The drones used in this process consist of batteries that are rechargeable and also have 4 to 8 propellers. These drones can be controlled by AI technology or remote and they have some unique features as well.
These drones are capable of avoiding collisions while flying with other drones; they have smart landing technology and navigate their way to the said location without any problems.
Benefits of Drone Delivery
The evolution of technology has led to a position that now you can receive your delivery through an aerial vehicle but the reason why people are getting interested in this is because of their benefits. Some of the benefits of Drone Delivery are:
These deliveries through drones can be lower costs.
They are quite efficient and delivery can be done without any bumps on the roads, literally.
The delivery can be fulfilled instantly as it takes less time.
It is environmentally friendly as natural fuels are not needed for the fulfilment of the operations.
The number of accidents will be reduced on the road if drones are used for deliveries.
What Is Google Wing?
Google’s Wing is mainly a subsidiary company of Alphabet Inc. that provides drone-based delivery technology to its customers. The company was founded in the year 2012 and the first drone delivery was successful in the year 2014.
Google Wing
The Wing is offering delivery drone services through which one can shop from the nearby stores in their cities and get their packages delivered to them through drones in just minutes. This is not only making buyer’s life easier but also helping local businesses.
How Google Is Revolutionising Drone Delivery Service?
The first and foremost aim of Google Wing is to make this service available for everyone and everywhere. They are trying to make a drone delivery system in a way that anyone can get access to the drone delivery option and drones can be used to deliver packages anywhere. Through this service, Wing is mainly trying to empower small local businesses.
There are various companies apart from Google that are providing drone delivery services. However, not everyone is able to fulfil its promises of delivering packages successfully and at a perfect time. The wing is transforming that, it is successfully delivering packages on time. Wing can be seen operating in the cities of Australia like Canberra and Logan, in the cities of United States and in the city of Helsinki which is in Finland.
Now one can get their delivery from shop to directly their homes with the help of drones. Wing has already completed its 100,000 delivery milestone in the year 2021.
With the ongoing pandemic, Wing not only is helping in keeping the virus from getting spread but also it is good for the environment as well as natural fuels or gases are not being used. The wing is about to launch its service in Dallas-Fort, USA, where a number of suburban homes can be found. The wing is said to complete 1000 orders per day.
Current Situation of Drone Delivery
As per reports, almost 2000 drone delivery is happening every day around the world. Apart from small packages, drones are delivering vaccines, medical supplies, food, electronics and even blood transfusions.
Drone delivery companies are said to receive over $1 billion in funding combined in the past few years. With the sword of Covid-19 hanging around our neck, the concept of social distancing is still here. Therefore, drones are coming in handy in this situation. By 2026, the drone delivery market is expected to reach $5.6 billion.
Amazon launched its drone delivery service called Prime Air which promises to complete the delivery in just 30 minutes. It has already received approval from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Fed-Ex
This US-based company collaborated with Wing to fulfil the delivery orders of e-commerce and logistics with the help of drones.
UPS Flight Forward
This one is another US-based company that came into existence in 2019 and is offering drone-based delivery.
DHL
DHL collaborated with EHang, one of the biggest and world-known AAV companies to deliver packages through drones in some cities of China.
Flytrex Aviation Ltd.
Flytrex first launched its services in Iceland and it delivers food from restaurants and medical supplies as well. Flytrex is based in Israel.
Drone Delivery Canada
This drone delivery Service Company is based in Canada and provides its service to various sectors like E-commerce, healthcare, pharmaceutical and others.
Drones itself is a magnificent technology that is bringing a revolutionary change in the delivery industry of the world. And it looks like Google is all set to revolutionise drone delivery services with its Wing. It will be exciting to see how Wing will transform the last-mile delivery services. Some of the top companies are also including their name in providing these services to their consumers. It is just a matter of time before drone delivery service will become one of the prime ways of delivery.
FAQs
Does Google own Wing?
Wing is a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet. Wing is a company that provides drone delivery services.
Do Wing drones have cameras?
Yes, Wing drone does have cameras that are low res black and white cameras used to navigate and avoid obstacles.
Where does Google Wing deliver?
Google Wing is currently operating in 3 countries Australia, the US, and Finland.
Like most tier-II cities, a craze for startups can also be seen in Bhopal, a city in Madhya Pradesh. The state government of Madhya Pradesh has been working side by side with the central government on promoting startup culture and increasing entrepreneurial spirit in the state.
Former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan on various occasions has expressed his desire to help people in Madhya Pradesh to improve their business output and put the state at the top in terms of business. Here we have compiled the list of startups in Bhopal which are doing great.
800+ stories, thousands of founders, and millions of visitors. Want to be the next?
StartupTalky is where founders, entrepreneurs, startups and businesses hang out and look up to for inspiration. If you have the means, we have the medium! Inviting founders and startups who are building sustainable solutions from ground zero! Startups who run the show, StartupTalky will let the world know!
Founder- Abhinav Saxena and Sohil Bansal Industry- SaaS
Easy Retail for You Logo
ER4U enables retailers to manage their store sales (including inventory, purchase, sales, HRM, CRM, accounts, billing) and e-commerce channel sales in their proprietary software.
In Sep 2016, ER4U claimed to have more than 50 clients and revenue of INR 9 lakh while their clients had processed more than INR 10 crore worth of transactions using the platform.
It plans to spread itself in 12 cities within 18 months and try to bridge the gap between e-commerce and a large part of retail market stores in the country. Abhinav Saxena and Sohil Bansal founded Easy Retail for You (ER4U) in the year 2015.
Appointy
Founder- Nemesh Singh Industry- SaaS
Appointy Logo
Appointy is one of the few SaaS products from India which is going great at a global level. With more than 130,000+ clients, Appointy generates total revenue of INR 24 lakhs/month, with just a team of 40.
Appointy is online scheduling software that allows its user to accept appointments online, send automated email/SMS reminders, integrate with social media and Google Calendar, accept online prepayments, create gift cards and deals. Hence it helps you to manage your clients and market your services by speeding up your word-of-mouth publicity. Appointy was founded by Nemesh Singh in 2006.
CollegeKhabri is a portal where there is well-structured information about colleges and the courses they offer. Parents, students or educational professionals can browse through this information and choose the right one for them.
It’s always a hustle for students, teachers and parents to find the perfect college. Choosing among plenty of colleges providing good quality education is a difficult process but CollegeKhabri is making it easy for them now.
CollegeKhabri was founded by Arshi Khan. Arshi holds a bachelor degree in Chemical Engineering from Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore. CollegeKhabri is based in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh and is working throughout the state. It also offers a scholarship “The KHABRI ” of 1 lakh rupees.
Founder- Rahul Rajput Industry- Transport & Logistics
OnnWay Logo
Onnway.com is a platform for freight where its loader, as well as Vehicle Provider, can connect easily. OnnWay is working out some of the major issues in the regions of locating costs, optimizing route, on-demand availability, tracking during transit and timely delivery.
You can manage all your cargoes on a single sensible and convenient platform. Find the available trucks all over India and for this, you need not make any prearrangement nor any phone calls.
Vizzbee is a robotics and artificial intelligence company that develops drone-based solutions. Their drones are powered by machine learning for emergency services, last-minute deliveries and surveillance. Drones are the new trend of the time. These small little devices can come in handy for a lot of purposes. Situated in Govindpura, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Vizzbee is an upcoming startup that deals with such autonomous drones services.
Vizzbee was founded by Vibhu Tripathi, a third-year mechanical engineering student at RGPV Bhopal and Ayush Jindal, a B- Tech student in Production and Industrial Engineering from IIT Delhi.
HackerKernel provides mobile and web applications development services to startups and enterprises all over the world. It works on a time and material model. HackerKernel focuses on the preference of the company.
If a company wants an app developed, then it charges for the complexity and the time spent by setting a team on finishing the project. It is currently situated at Arera Colony, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The motive of the startup is to help technology resources through a unique partnership programme.
Hackerkernel was launched by Husain Saify in 2015. Husain holds a degree in Bachelor of Computer. He started it with an investment of Rs. 5000, which he earned from his first project of website development. The company’s turnover in 2018 was Rs 1 Crore.
Netlink
Founder- Anurag Srivastava Industry- IT Services
Netlink Logo
Netlink is a leading technology solution provider based in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh with over 20 years of provider expertise. It focuses on delivering valuable business results and simplifying processes, which makes it a reliable provider of comprehensive IT solutions.
Netlink had spread across 18 global areas, backed by 2 Data Centres and 4 delivery centres. It has been awarded by “Automotive Hall of Fame”, “ET Entrepreneur of the Year”, and many more.
Netlink was founded in 1999 by Anurag Srivastava. Anurag is an alum of Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (Bachelor of Engineering) and Clemson University (Master of Science). Netlink has its headquarters in Michigan, USA.
IT Fusion
Founder- Deepak Motwani Industry- IT Services
IT Fusion Logo
IT Fusion is an IT company in Bhopal. IT Fusion offers a complete spectrum of services including Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media Optimization (SMO), Web Design, Web Development, Software Development, E-commerce Solutions and Internet Marketing. The company started their operations from Bhopal in April 2011 and has a very good client base in India as well as abroad in this short span of time.
GypsyShack
Founder- Jagpreet Pabla Industry- Travel
Gypsy Shack Logo
Gypsy Shack is a travel startup that is very unique in its approach. It has added 90 tour operators that have come into existence through personal recommendations from seasoned travellers. The motto of Gypsy Shack is Engagement, Exploration and Evolution. It is supposed to give out-of-the-box experience to many. The startup has worked on providing jobs to locals in Bhopal and outskirt cities.
Jagpreet Pabla who is the founder also a former KPMG consultant and a graduate from Sri Ram College for Commerce, Delhi University that Chaltai Bhatia and they feel those who come to India should get the exotic feeling of being in the diverse and beautiful country.
TheKabadiwala
Founder- Anurag Aasti Industry- Re-commerce
The Kabadiwala Logo
TheKabadiwala is a doorstep service that intends to help out people to sell their household junk like newspapers, iron, plastic, books, copies, metal etc. and get paid for it. It is intended to recycle, reuse, reduce up-cycle and resell the scrap. It is a platform for the residents to participate in responsible waste management and is best in class technology, logistics to process the scrap.
Anurag Aasti, the founder of the company, is an IT engineer who found support to chase this project from his college professor. He once said in an interview,
“I started working on this, but this simple task proved pretty cumbersome. In the process, I found out everything about the waste management cycle and how the process works. at the end of it, I had come to a conclusion this is purely a gap an something needs to be done.”
The startup has also been awarded as the brand ambassador of Madhya Pradesh.
BusinessKeeda is an online community that provides incubation services and network services. It is present in seven Indian cities and it is a platform for startups to create and innovate themselves further and help themselves grow.
Arshi Khan, Avinash Seth and Rothar Jelis are the founders of the company. Arshi is the CEO of BusinessKeeda has plans to expand it across the country and also helps out students in various colleges to have events and create their own businesses.
KhaDigi is an innovative leading handcrafted fabrics startup in Bhopal. KhaDigi was started in 2017 started as a means to empower women by teaching them how to weave and spin ‘khadi’ cloth and then expanded to give a platform and market to the local artisans.
KhaDigi goes a step further by training women in the region in weaving and spinning. is working for the welfare of artisans of Bundelkhand by providing them with a congenial working atmosphere with better machinery and access to the market.
KhaDigi also plans to expand globally and export Khadi products to other countries, forge partnerships with giant textile retailers like Zara and H&M, who are committed to sustainable fashion and UN SDGs 2030.
So, this was a list of Startups in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Hope this list is helpful to you. Please share if you find it useful. You can check out other cities too.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR or Industry 4.0) is on the verge of happening. It is believed that the revolution will have a great impact on human life and put the human race far ahead. According to the experts, certain chores like washing clothes and dishes have already become more convenient due to technological revelations. It is expected that it will continue and eventually reach the point where most people will save almost two hours a day leading to over 15 hours a week or more than 33 days a year on doing chores.
The global market for Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is anticipated to reach US$8,781.2mil (RM370mil) by 2026. RPA will eliminate manual errors and reduce the time needed for daily processes. RPA will also reinvent careers, shifting from task-based roles to leveraging human adaptability and problem-solving. New job opportunities are anticipated with a growing demand for RPA professionals.
Helping Hand For Your Household Chores
Today, drones are well known as data capture devices with a camera. Drones are valuable for their combination of mobile hardware and internet connectivity. VCs have invested a total of$1.5 billion since 2012 in drone commercial startups that are shaping the industry. But in the future, we’ll see them perform the full lifecycle like capturing data, analyzing this information, and then acting on it. We’ll see agriculture drones protect huge fields, detect weeds and other issues follow up by sending commands to drones that can spray a herbicide. These future technologies in homes will be very helpful.
Drones are being used to quickly deliver goods, broadly study the environment and scan remote military bases. Drones have been employed in security monitoring, safety inspections, border surveillance, and storm tracking but drones that run themselves require some level of artificial intelligence to guide their actions on the proper path.
Today’s drones are still limited by their human controllers but the next generation of drones will be powered by artificial intelligence. AI will allow drones to make decisions and operate themselves on the behalf of their human controllers. Improvements in drone technology, the evolution of AI and improved algorithms will make drones more useful.
Similarly, another technology – Augmented Reality (AR), which superimposes an image onto a user’s view of the real world and enhances it with sound, touch and even smell, will play a vital role in the future. Big brands have already started using AR outreach but it still needs momentum from creators, developers and marketers to make it accessible for anyone and everyone.
These technologies will be highly used for household purposes. As consumers become more comfortable with AR, their presence will become a more continuous expectation. Experts have given their top predictions for what house technology will revolutionize home living in the near future. Not only this, even changing bedsheets, watering plants, plumping up pillows and ordering food are also expected to be automated. According to futurologists, around 90% of household chores will be automated by 2040, thanks to robots, drones and AI.
Some of the future technologies that would help us do the housework are discussed below.
Today, even though robots are being used for many purposes such as in industries, airports, medical, etc., they haven’t become part of houses yet. But it is predicted that in the future, robots will start appearing in households by 2030. They may cost around £25,000 at first.
These robots will be able to perform all types of household chores that we humans do today. The bots will be able to load the dishwasher and put away pots and pans, fold the laundry, change sheets and move furniture and so on. These robots will be self-training bots which mean humans don’t need to teach them how to perform a particular task.
Multi-Function Drones
Drone is supposed to be the future of parcel delivery.
It is expected that the tiny drones will be commonplace in the 2030s and they will be priced around £1 each. These drones will also help in performing households chores to save time and effort. These drones will have lights, sound, cameras, microphones, sensors, robotic arms, wave cancellation technology, or wave enhancement technology.
Drones are distributed sensors that make the internet smarter. They can serve as a platform on which different applications, software, and business models can be built. These drones will pick up dirt and clean surfaces, with variations and also be able to water plants and monitor security around the home. Some drones will shine an infrared beam at a room’s occupant to warm them as they move around the house.
Artificial Intelligence Butlers are coming to do all your household chores.
As mentioned above, house robots will perform many in-house tasks. Similarly, Artificial Intelligence Butlers will be one of the biggest game-changers. They are best imagined as extremely advanced versions of Siri or Alexa. This will be teachers and trainers also.
The AI Butlers will take control of all the routine life of human-like paying bills, managing subscriptions, doing your shopping and constantly monitoring ways to save time and money for humans. This will also serve as personalized practice partners to help with homework and reinforce what children have learned that day in school.
Reverse Microwave
As the name itself suggests, unlike today’s microwave oven, these ovens will be designed to cool things down in seconds so wines and beers can be chilled in seconds rather than hours. This is expected to be one of the coolest inventions in the future.
According to experts, this product has already been in the developing stage. The company developing this product has named Juno. This product is currently at the testing stage, having been previewed at many tech shows. The product was developed in order to rapidly chill white and red wine using “reverse microwave technology”.
The gadget is capable of chilling a full-size, 75cl bottle of white wine to 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) in just three minutes, while a bottle of beer can be cooled to the correct serving temperature in less than a minute. Juno can also be used to chill soft drinks including coffee and canned fizzy drinks.
It features just three controls, which come pre-set for the recommended red and white wine temperatures, with an additional option to customize your preferred chilling level.
Ensuring good sleep and cushions, these pillows are re-plumped when someone gets up from the sofa or bed. These are already being sold in markets but in the future, it is expected to have good quality and precision in this technology.
With the rise in sleep technology and a number of new bedding and mattress companies launching on the market, there’s never been a better time to take stock of how you sleep and what you sleep on.
Washing Balls
These Washing Balls might replace Washing Machines in Future.
A washing ball is nothing but a tennis-ball-sized ultrasonic device that uses ultrasound to clean. It is also known as a laundry ball and is a product promoted as a substitute for laundry detergent.
This ball will be placed inside a pile or bucket of clothing to clean clothes without the need for a bulky washing machine. These balls will be environmentally friendly alternatives that can reduce water and energy consumption.
Super Smart Fridges
There are already smart fridges in the market but Super smart fridges will learn what you eat. They will be able to reorder when stocks are low and even recommend recipes based on the contents of what you like and tell you expiry dates of what’s in your fridge. They will also have Alexa built-in, which makes the kitchen chores easier.
Most of these fridges will have a super wide-angle camera mounted inside the fridge so that you can see what you have right from your smartphone when you’re at the grocery store. So you don’t need to worry about making a grocery list before going shopping.
3D food printing is able to make dishes from different pastes and materials, so it seems we are getting closer to the science-fiction concept. Such innovations are already being offered by different manufacturers: 3D Systems’ ChefJet, Natural Machines’ Foodini, BeeHex’s Chef3D, etc. These are all machines that can make chocolate, pasta, sugar and even more dishes.
This technology was first developed for 3D food printing in space travel. In 2006, NASA began researching 3D-printed food. If we take a look back at our world, we can see that there are many opportunities to use technology in the food industry. Many companies have recognized the opportunities and are taking advantage of 3D printing different foods, from sugar and chocolate to pasta and vegetable mixes.
Virtual Chefs
Virtual Chef will help you with cooking techniques.
This is an application of Augmented Reality(AR). Augmenting the physical world with interesting and shareable content has been the focus of AR in experiential marketing. In the next 20 years, we will see virtual chefs appear as holograms to help us cook every step of the way.
Augmented and virtual reality play naturally into this shift. Both are vehicles to activate all senses and immerse the consumer within a specific branded experience. AR experiences in particular have seen growing traction for use during food & beverage events.
A robotic Lawn Mower will automatically cut the grass without human intervention.
To many homeowners, lawn mowing is such a tormenting task. This robotic lawn mower is a fine piece of modern technology that will reduce your time as well as the energy you spend on mowing the grass by sickle. It is quite convenient and easy to use. Now, you need not juggle between your other household chores, you can simply input the settings and the device will automatically cut the grass.
When buying a robotic lawn mower, you can consider the following things:
Robot Vacuum will help to minimize the amount of work that homeowners need to do.
Keeping your indoor environment is quite a hectic and tedious task especially if you’re an office goer or busy type of person. In order to keep your indoor environment clean and healthy, frequent vacuuming should be part of your housekeeping routine. It helps to reduce the amount of dust, mites, mould spores, and other pollutants settled on your floors, carpeting, and upholstery.
But thanks to today’s advanced technology, we have robot vacuums in the vicinity. It is easy to use, noise-free and autonomous cleaning as main advantages. They are efficient at keeping your tiles, carpets, and wood flooring free from debris and different kinds of dirt. Some of them are so advanced that you can monitor them via an app on your phone. Just choose a starting spot, set the timer, program the cleaning space, and you are good to go.
Frequently Added Questions – FAQs
What technologies will be used in the future?
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Augmented Reality
Big Data
Bioprinting
Cloud Computing
Genetic Engineering
What will be the role of artificial intelligence in future smart homes?
Artificial intelligence (AI) will play a vital role in this effort by using data—including grid data, smart meter data, weather data, and energy use information—to study and improve building performance, optimize resource consumption, and increase comfort and cost-efficiency for residents.
What is the future of smart homes?
According to Statista, the future of smart homes is exciting – there will be around 31 billion devices connected to the internet by 2020, and that number is supposed to grow to 75.4 billion by 2025.
Larry Page is one of the world’s richest men and is well known for his company Google. Larry Page was the co-founder of Google and established the company in the year 1998. But few of us actually know about different startups that Larry Page is working on. In this article let’s look at those startups.
The Air Taxi startup of Larry Page named Kitty Hawk has reported that it was making moves to the M&A space and conveyed that it has acquired 3D Robotics. The acquired company was once said to be a rival of the Chinese company DJI which is well known for the manufacturing of Drones.
The profile of Kitty Hawk has mostly been to operate in Stealth and revealed that they were working on developing remote piloted vehicles. These vehicles are expected to be electric and have also been testing and exploring vertical landing and takeoff.
The acquired company 3D robotics’ CEO and co-founder who is the formed Wired magazine editor is expected to join as a COO of Kitty Hawk who would be reporting to the CEO of the company Sebastian Thurn who is also the founder of Google X and helped in building Udacity.
Who is Larry Page?
Larry Page is well known to everyone as the co-founder of Google and the company was founded in the year 1998. Larry Page was the CEO of Google since 2001 and later it was continued by the co-founder of Google Eric Schmidt. In the year 2015, he co-founded Alphabet and made it the Parent company of Google.
Larry Page had founded Kitty Hawk in the year 2015 after making Alphabet the parent company of Google and kept Kitty Hawk away from the company. The company had launched a personal electric aircraft called flyer in the year 2017.
Kittyhawk Flyer
The company had worked and evolved the concept of a flyer and in the year 2018, the company revealed a product Cora which was a joint venture with Boeing. But it was found that in the recent years the company had stopped concentrating on a flyer and had also laid off some employees.
The company however had come up with another aircraft called Heaviside which is more traditional in looks when compared to the startups that develop aircrafts. The team Kitty Hawk is working currently on making the aircraft fully autonomous.
Planetary Resources
Planetary resources are a space mining company that was launched by Larry Page and the founder of Braintree Bryan Johnson. It is a US based company that was established in the year 2009 which was later reorganized and renamed in the year 2012.
The main aim or goal of the company is to expand the natural resource base of the Earth by developing and deploying the technologies for mining asteroids. The company in the year 2018 had launched Arkyd-6 CubeSat which holds and technology that is experimental to detect the resources for water in the space.
The company has faced a lot of skepticism and ridicule against the idea of mining of space as the costs of the company are expected to be much more larger than what they can obtain from the mining of Asteroids.
Opener
The Opener is again a personal aviation company that was founded in the year 1996 by a Canadian Engineer Marcus Leng. The idea of personal aviation had fascinated Leng and he flew his first proof of the concept of eVTOL aircraft in the year 2011.
The major project of the company is Blackfly and the objective is to fly a capable vehicle which is a dream of futurists to efficiently move passengers from A to B. Opener has conveyed that they are working towards realizing this dream.
Opener Blackfly
The vehicle is expected to consume lesser energy compared to an Electric Car and also lesser noise compared to cars and motorcycles. It is a fully electric vehicle with a Vertical takeoff and landing. Larry Page has been an investor in the company and the startup is backed by him.
Conclusion
However, in the year 2019, Larry Page stepped down as the CEO of Alphabet but still remains as a board member of the company and has a controlling stake in the company. The above mentioned startups are some of the lesser known startups Larry page is working on.
FAQ
Why did Larry Page leave Google?
As the company faced a series of antitrust investigations and mounting employee unrest, its two cofounders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin stepped down in 2019 from their leadership roles at the company.
What is Larry Page’s net worth?
The net worth of Larry Page is 10,560 crores USD (2021).
Is Larry Page a billionaire?
Larry page built a significant amount of wealth while creating Google. According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, as of April 10, 2021, Page has a net worth of approximately $103.7 billion, making him the 6th-wealthiest person in the world.
India had been severely hit by the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic and the country saw a shortage in the availability of vaccines. Even though the country is slowly recovering from the second wave the vaccination in the country is still facing certain problems and the one of the most important problems is related to logistics and supply chain management.
The e-commerce giant, Flipkart has announced that they would deliver the vaccines in Telangana through drones. Let’s look at the further details of the drone delivery by Flipkart.
On 11 June 2021, the e-commerce giant of India, Flipkart had announced that it was going to test the drone delivery facility of the company by delivering vaccines in the state of Telangana. The company conveyed that it would use the learnings from its supply chain that is tech enabled in order to use drones for delivering vaccines and medical supplies in the state.
The company announced that it had partnered with the Government of Telangana to form an association in order to run the task of delivering the medical supplies and vaccines to the remote areas of the state using the drone technology.
Flipkart to join hands with Medicines from the sky project for Drone delivery of Vaccine
Flipkart has conveyed that they will conduct the pilot drone delivery of medical supplies under the Medicines from the sky project. It is a project which outlines the requirement for drone delivery and to assess the proposals which are created under the Healthnet Global Limited and the World Economic Forum.
The Government of Telangana has decided to work on this project and to implement it into the healthcare supply chain of the state in order to implement drones for reaching the most remote areas in Telangana.
Flipkart’s plan of Drone delivery of Vaccine
Flipkart had conveyed that it would use the knowledge that the company has gained from their tech enabled supply chain in order to deploy the drones and to provide health care supply chain support by delivering the medical supplies.
These are going to be supported by the technologies which the company has developed over the years such as geo-mapping, track and trace of location and routing of shipments.
Some of these technologies will also be used to deliver the vaccines and medical supplies to the most remote areas where the infrastructure of the road makes it impossible to deliver them. The company will use the technology to conduct Beyond Visual Line of Sight deliveries using the drone. It will make the deliveries really faster and will play a major role in vaccinating the remote areas.
Pranav Saxena who is the distinguished product manager of Flipkart conveyed that the Coronavirus pandemic and the situation has pushed the countries worldwide to adapt to rapid technologies and shift towards robust technologies by developing scalable products. The medicine of the sky project is considered to be a sign towards it.
He added that the step taken by Flipkart is a quick decision in order to make use of the cutting edge technology for the safety and the wellbeing of the people.
He also conveyed that the company was proud to partner with the Government of Telangana in leading the association by utilizing the companies subtle understanding of the supply chain and the technologies that are helping and supporting in the automated movement of the medical supplies in completing the emergency requirements of the citizens across the state.
The company conveyed that even during the disasters or any natural calamities they would deliver the medical supplies and the required products using the drone technology and this will set a place in the industry for providing the necessary products in the time of need.
Government of Telangana on Drone delivery of Vaccine
The Government of Telangana has always been a step ahead in utilizing the technology for improving the lives of citizens. The Telangana Government stated that introducing the drone technology for delivery of vaccines and medical supplies for the citizens in the remote areas is going to be the first ever introduction in the entire country and added that the Government is happy to have partnered with Flipkart towards this initiative.
Jayesh Ranjan who is the Principal Secretary from the Government of Telangana has conveyed that this initiative will go a long way in testing the best in class technologies and solutions in order to solve the future crisis that will be faced by the society.
Conclusion
The drone delivery is considered to be the most effective way to deliver vaccines and to solve the supply chain related problems faced by the country. India is one of the most populated country having a lot of population concentrated in the remote areas, this technology can be a solution for the major crisis faced by the country regarding vaccines if worked effectively.
FAQ
Is drone delivery legal in India?
Yes, Drone delivery is legal in India but the operations must be limited to visual line of sight and the drone must not carry any dangerous goods.
Where is Flipkart planning to deliver vaccines?
Flipkart is planning to conduct drone delivery of vaccines in Telangana and deliver medical supplies under the Medicines from the sky project.
How many vaccines are there for Covid-19 in India?
India has authorized three COVID-19 vaccines: Covaxin developed by Bharat Biotech, Covishield developed by Oxford/AstraZeneca, Sputnik V developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Russia.
