UPS and CyPhy Works Test Drone for Urgent Commercial Delivery
September 23 2016 - 8:30AM
UPS® (NYSE:UPS) announced today that it has begun testing the
use of drones to make commercial deliveries of packages to remote
or difficult-to-access locations, working together with drone-maker
CyPhy Works.
Testing began on Thursday when the companies staged a mock
delivery of urgently needed medicine from Beverly, Mass. to
Children’s Island, which is about three miles off the Atlantic
coast. The drone flight advances an investment made by The UPS
Strategic Enterprise Fund in CyPhy to gather information about
drone uses and capabilities.
“Our focus is on real-world applications that benefit our
customers,” said Mark Wallace, UPS senior vice president of global
engineering and sustainability. “We think drones offer a great
solution to deliver to hard-to-reach locations in urgent situations
where other modes of transportation are not readily available.”
Last month, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),
issued new rules that expanded the uses of drones in commercial
applications. Operators must adhere to important safety
regulations. UPS believes these new rules are a step in the right
direction. With the recent appointment of Captain Houston Mills,
UPS Airlines’ director of safety, to the FAA’s new drone advisory
committee, UPS intends to keep working closely with regulators to
stay on the right path.
Innovation through automation and robotics has long been a focus
for the world’s largest package delivery company. In fact, UPS has
been testing drones in warehouses to check high storage racks to
confirm stock or available space. The company also is exploring the
use of drones to deliver humanitarian aid in hard-to-reach parts of
the world.
“We’re thrilled to partner with UPS in this endeavor,” said
Helen Greiner, CyPhy’s founder and chief technology officer. “Drone
technology used in this way can save lives and deliver products and
services to places that are difficult to reach by traditional
transit infrastructures.”
The CyPhy drone used in Thursday’s test is the Persistent Aerial
Reconnaissance and Communications (PARC) system. The
battery-powered drone flies itself, so very little user training is
required. It is extremely durable, has night vision and features
secure communications that cannot be intercepted or disrupted.
UPS and CyPhy flew the PARC from Beverly to Children’s Island to
test the viability of using the drone to make a time-critical
delivery. In the mock scenario, the drone successfully carried an
asthma inhaler to a child at a camp on the island, which is not
reachable by automobile.
“UPS has a history of innovation that reaches back more than a
hundred years,” Wallace said. “UPS uniformed employees remain a
vital connection to our customers, but tests like these reveal a
bridge to the future of customer service and urgent package
delivery. We are continuously exploring ways to improve our network
to efficiently support our customers’ demanding requirements.”
Editors note: please visit www.pressroom.ups.com for
photos and video.
About UPS
UPS (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a
broad range of solutions including transporting packages and
freight; facilitating international trade, and deploying advanced
technology to more efficiently manage the world of business.
Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and
territories worldwide. The company can be found on the web at
ups.com® and its corporate blog can be found at longitudes.ups.com.
To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS or follow
@UPS_News on Twitter.
About CyPhy Works
CyPhy Works is a leading drone company pursuing innovative
aerial platforms to support customers in industries including
defense, public safety, agriculture, energy, logistics,
marine, mining, power and transportation. CyPhy Works'
tethered drones offer persistent, long-duration mission capability;
secure data links for payload data, and for command/control; and
easy, autonomous flight. For more information please
visit http://www.cyphyworks.com or follow us on twitter
at @CyPhyWorksInc or @HelenGreiner.
Glenn Zaccara
UPS Public Relations
404-828-4663
gzaccara@ups.com
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