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SingPost delivers mail to Pulau Ubin with a drone’s maiden flight from the mainland

By Wong Chung Wee - on 8 Oct 2015, 11:57am

SingPost delivers mail to Pulau Ubin with a drone’s maiden flight from the mainland

(Image source: SingPost)

SingPost has successfully delivered mail from the mainland to Pulau Ubin with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, or drone. According to SingPost, the drone was developed by InfoComm Authority of Singapore (IDA) and its maiden postal delivery was made possible with the collaborative efforts of several ministries and statutory boards, which included the Ministry of Transport, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, the Republic of Singapore Air Force as well as the Singapore Police Force.

(Image source: SingPost)

The drone carried a payload of a letter and T-shirt over a distance of two kilometers to Pulau Ubin. Its design is based on the Pixhawk Steadidrone platform and the final working model was built by IDA Labs to meet the delivery platform requirements of SingPost. With the successful conclusion of the trial, SingPost claims that its feat is a world’s first, in terms of using “an UAV for point-to-point recipient-authenticated mail delivery.” SingPost’s drone is equipped with “equipped with enhanced safety features, and is complemented with a prototype app designed with security and verification features that ensures the mail reaches its intended recipient.”

Although the drone is designed to take payloads of up to half a kilogram in weight, the main intention of its maiden trial was to test its technology and flight safety. The drone is rated to fly up to a height of 45m, and can travel up to a distance of 2.3km. SingPost’s exploratory efforts with UAV delivery is part of its strategy to strengthen its foothold in Southeast Asia as the market leader in providing end-to-end solutions for urban logistics.

(Source: SingPost)

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