Japan Post tested parcel delivery by drone outside the operator's line of sight

Japan continues a series of tests of unmanned parcel delivery with a high level of sophistication. Japan Post has successfully tested drone delivery outside the operator's line of sight.

Here's What We Know

The test took place near Japan's capital city. The drone successfully delivered a parcel in a populated area. The operator operated the drone out of line of sight. The parcel was delivered in 5 minutes, whereas a postal service truck would have taken 15 minutes.

Operating a drone outside line-of-sight is a level four difficulty. This became possible after Japanese authorities lifted a number of restrictions on such flights at the end of 2022. The number of tests will increase in the foreseeable future, as almost 100 people already want a license to fly at the fourth level of difficulty.

Other companies have been running simpler tests in Japan since the autumn. Seven-Eleven Japan, ANA Holdings, FamilyMart and Lawson, for example. Sagawa Express began testing unmanned delivery in January 2023 and plans to begin commercial operation of the UAV in 2025.

Source: Nikkei