Bruce McPherson

SkyDrive Inc., a leading flying-car developer, has successfully launched test flights of a cargo drone which could revolutionize the way heavy goods are transported and speed up the movement of equipment in remote locations. The first operational testing took place earlier this month (December) in Toyota City, Japan. It was carried out to test the technology by moving heavy equipment in remote locations. Additional testing will be carried out later in the month.

This new technology has been tested with a load capacity of 30kg — utilizing SkyDrive’s world-leading aircraft development technology to achieve high safety standards. There is the potential to develop this further and achieve greater capacity loads of up to 50kg and 80kg, according to demand. The cargo drone also has the potential to change the way products are moved from manufacturers to warehouses and onto depots.

SkyDrive Chief Executive Tomohiro Fukuzawa said: “We are delighted to successfully test this world-leading technology. Our cargo drone has proven to deliver by safely lifting loads of up to 20kg in a mountainous area — saving time and money. “We look forward to expanding on this success by testing heavier loads for customers in the future. Our quest is to create cutting-edge technology that will improve the productivity of businesses across the world — and today we celebrate a key milestone in making that happen.”

SkyDrive is developing the cargo drone for use in industries that carry heavy materials on complex terrain such as slopes, mountain valleys, overpasses, power transmission towers, civil engineering/construction sites, agricultural fields, etc. Usage of cargo drones will help avoid dangerous works, save personnel and shorten the term of works. So SkyDrive can contribute to responding to labor shortages and improving Japan’s labor productivity sagging due to its declining population.

Cargo drone technical details:

Can be used by companies for transporting materials to hard-to-reach places such as slopes, mountain valleys, overpasses and sites of steel tower maintenance.

Basic specifications:

• Total length 1.3m x total width 1.7m x total height 1.0m
• Recommended payload: 30kg
• Flight speed: 40km/h
• Flight time: 15min.
• Winch mechanism to move up and down without landing

Further information can be found here: https://en-skydrive.amebaownd.com/pages/3450667/drone