Drone-van combos are delivering goods in Switzerland 29 September 2017

Part delivery van, part helipad. That is the role of a handful of Mercedes-Benz vehicles that are currently cruising the streets of Zurich. Matternet and Mercedes-Benz began exploring the use of vans as rolling distribution hubs for aerial package delivery last year and that concept is now a reality, with a three-week trial in the Swiss capital using drone-van combos to deliver goods for local e-tailer Siroop.

The experiment uses drones to shuttle parcels of up to four pounds from a distribution centre to vans, at least, when they’re parked at one of four rendezvous points around the city. The vans have a special landing zone on their roof, which allows the drone to set down and drop off its payload. The driver of the vehicle is then tasked with actually delivering the package to a customer.

The idea is to help e-tailers provide on-demand delivery for customers without the need for more vehicles and drivers, or return trips to a distribution centre. The approach also avoids the issue of having customers interact with drones at their home or place of work.

The trial will help assess whether delivering packages in this way is actually cost-effective.

If it proves to be viable, Matternet has big plans for the concept, with ‘van fleets dynamically synchronised with drone fleets for efficient on-demand delivery’.

Aside from this trial, Matternet is also using drones to ship medical supplies between hospitals in Switzerland.