Signed, sealed, delivered: SingPost unveils world’s first drone mail delivery system

Its maiden flight was a success.

An unmanned aircraft might soon replace your trusty mailman. Singapore Post today revealed that it has successfully developed the world’s first drone mail delivery system, in which an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) delivered a package from Lorong Halus to Pulau Ubin.

The drone’s test flight took five minutes over a total distance of two kilometres. It carried a payload of a letter as well as t-shirt in a packet.

It has the capacity to carry a payload of up to half a kilogramme, fly at a height of up to 45 metres and travel a distance of 2.3 kilometres. The focus of the flight was to test the drone technology and safety boundaries.

The drone was developed in collaboration with the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA). It was built upon the Pixhawk Steadidrone platform designed by IDA Labs to meet the new conceptual delivery platform from SingPost, and tailored for use in a challenging environment like Singapore.

“There is immense potential in UAV technology for last-mile mail and ecommerce delivery. As SingPost transforms into an eCommerce logistics enabler, we will continue to collaborate with industry leaders and chart new frontiers,” said Dr Wolfgang Baier, Group Chief Executive Officer of SingPost.