Drone postal deliveries could mean the mailman’s days are numbered in Singapore

By David Curry Published October 8, 2015

The mailman’s days may be numbered, judging by this trial conducted by SingPost, Singapore’s national post service. It used a drone to send a letter and a package containing a t-shirt to its destination over two kilometers away, a mission that took just five minutes. It is the first commercial drone test completed in the country, but SingPost doesn’t expect to have drones making regular deliveries for at least another five years.

SingPost worked with Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) labs to build the drone, using the Pixhawk Steadidrone Platform. The four winged drone holds the package in the center on the top, rather than underneath, and the recipient can authenticate and accept delivery using a mobile app to open the box.

Recommended Videos

The recipient can also choose a location to pick up the package, for example in a nearby park, backyard, or at the office. In the trial, SingPost managed to fly the drone over to the Singapore island of Pulau Ubin, showing the potential benefits for remote villages in Singapore that are unable to receive one-day deliveries.

Once the drone becomes part of the postal service, the traditional mailman won’t be out of a job through. Instead, SingPost will use the system to redeploy delivery staff to other areas, enhancing the speed of the entire operation. The company works in 22 countries through its freight shipping business, but only plans to use drones in Singapore. SingPost is working on improving security and efficiency of the operation, before moving forward with any full deployment plans.

Once the security has been taken care of, SingPost still needs to gain approval from the Singapore government to fly commercial drones. It may be set a limit for how many drones it can have in the air at one time, or given specific flight routes to avoid other air traffic.

SingPost is not the only drone delivery project undergoing testing, Amazon Prime Air is currently being tested in the United States and United Kingdom, and Swiss Post is testing a drone service for delivery to remote areas across Europe.

Contributor

David has been writing about technology for several years, following the latest trends and covering the largest events. He is…

Topics

Cars

Many hybrids rank as most reliable of all vehicles, Consumer Reports finds

many hybrids rank as most reliable of all vehicles evs progress consumer reports cr tout cars 0224

For the U.S. auto industry, if not the global one, 2024 kicked off with media headlines celebrating the "renaissance" of hybrid vehicles. This came as many drivers embraced a practical, midway approach rather than completely abandoning gas-powered vehicles in favor of fully electric ones.

Now that the year is about to end, and the future of tax incentives supporting electric vehicle (EV) purchases is highly uncertain, it seems the hybrid renaissance still has many bright days ahead. Automakers have heard consumer demands and worked on improving the quality and reliability of hybrid vehicles, according to the Consumer Reports (CR) year-end survey.

Cars

U.S. EVs will get universal plug and charge access in 2025

u s evs will get universal plug charge access in 2025 ev car to charging station power cable plugged shutterstock 1650839656

And then, it all came together.

Finding an adequate, accessible, and available charging station; charging up; and paying for the service before hitting the road have all been far from a seamless experience for many drivers of electric vehicles (EVs) in the U.S.

Cars

Rivian tops owner satisfaction survey, ahead of BMW and Tesla

The front three-quarter view of a 2022 Rivian against a rocky backdrop.

Can the same vehicle brand sit both at the bottom of owner ratings in terms of reliability and at the top in terms of overall owner satisfaction? When that brand is Rivian, the answer is a resonant yes.

Rivian ranked number one in satisfaction for the second year in a row, with owners especially giving their R1S and R1T electric vehicle (EV) high marks in terms of comfort, speed, drivability, and ease of use, according to the latest Consumer Reports (CR) owner satisfaction survey.