Akihabara News (Tokyo) — JP Rakuten Logistics has conducted what are believed to be the first successful unassisted, non-visual deliveries of packages by drone in a mountainous area of Hakuba village, Nagano Prefecture.
In the tests, the drone repeatedly delivered about seven kilograms of food and drinks to a mountain lodge about 1,600 meters higher in altitude. The round trip was about ten kilometers in distance.
In accordance with Japan’s drone legislation, drones can make unassisted deliveries so long as they drop their payloads from a height of one meter or less.
In March of this year Japan Post and Rakuten announced a cross-company alliance, and this was followed the next month by the establishment of JP Rakuten Logistics, 50.1% owned by Japan Post and 49.9% owned by Rakuten.
Rakuten’s drone division was folded into the new venture company, which hopes that drone deliveries can play a role in the future by reducing costs for labor and transportation.
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