Hamburg hosts show flight for drone able to carry 600-kilogram loads

Volocopter, the company, sees this as their promise for a new logistics supply chain and a bid for affordable urban air mobility

On 12 October, Volocopter conducted the first public test flight of their heavy-duty freight drone. The showcase event happened in Hamburg, during the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress where the drone was able to reach an altitude of 22 metres, carrying weights loaded up in a box between its landing gears.

Volocopter is a company founded around the idea of building the world’s first sustainable and scalable air mobility option. They aim to launch the world’s first affordable air taxi services and low range air freight options.

Extending logistics infrastructure into the sky

The Volocоpter drone is around two metres high and is able carry around 600 kilograms of cargo within a 40-kilometre range. This innovative application of Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAV’s) gives us an existing glimpse into the future of logistics, as it opens up a whole new line of transportation for both land and sea. The drone is able to move people, too.

The biggest impact of the wide adoption of freight UAV’s could be for metropolitan areas, as they are densely packed and logistic hubs usually run at full capacity. Taking to the air can give planners a whole hew transportation line, taking advantage of virtually non-existent traffic.

Hamburg recently premiered a drone medical service, ferrying medicine and medical samples across the city.

Volocopter is also constructing the digital infrastructure to operate drones. It is supposed to go live in the next 2 to 3 years and will offer a wide range of applications, such as maintenance organisation, airworthiness management, flight analytics, vehicle connectivity and autonomous operations.

According to the company, the drone would be able to handle autonomous flight even when the line of sight is broken, ensuring the safety of passengers or cargo.