Very interesting post from Reuters:
Drone delivery: DHL 'parcelcopter' flies to German isle
Logistics firm DHL is using a drone to fly parcels to the German island of Juist, in what it says is the first time an unmanned aircraft has been authorized to deliver goods in Europe.
The company, owned by Germany's Deutsche Post, joins the likes of Amazon.com and Google in testing the potential for drones to deliver parcels and packages.
Its drone - the "parcelcopter" - can fly at up to 65 km (40 miles) an hour. It will deliver medication and other urgently needed goods to the car-free island of Juist, off Germany's northern coast, at times when other modes of transport such as flights or ferries are not operating.
If the trial is successful, the craft could be used to deliver such packages to other remote areas or in emergencies.
Very cool use of the technology. If the weather is crappy enough to ground a helicopter, the drone is expendable and several of them can be sent until the package arrives. This opens the way for mountain search and rescue and all sorts of medical emergencies. Getting things that last mile is often a real problem.
The person calling for assist has a cell phone with GPS so the coordinates can be uploaded into the drone's navigation. Infrared sensors can be used for warm-body avoidance so the chance of accident is minimal.
