Britain’s Royal Mail postal service plans to use a fleet of 500 drones to deliver to rural areas. The pandemic has reminded many of us of the vital role the humble postie plays in keeping people connected. However, many rural communities struggle to access services that we often take for granted due to their location. Royal Mail wants to change that and has identified more than 50 postal routes it wants to create using drones in the next three years. The company is partnering with logistics drone firm Windracers in the effort and the first routes identified for the service include the Isles of Scilly, the Shetland Islands, Orkney and the Hebrides. Stephen Wright, President of Windracers, said: “The industry has long overlooked the middle mile of supply and logistics, especially in remote locations, and is ripe for innovation. We have spent the last five years focused on developing the most commercially viable essential logistics drone technology, so we are truly delighted to be working with Royal Mail on this ambitious and pioneering deployment of autonomous aircraft. It puts the UK firmly at the forefront of this exciting sector.” UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) will bring more speed and convenience to customers in remote communities. Royal Mail has carried out four tests in the last 18 months. The most recent test took place last month in the Shetland Islands, where a UAV made the 50-mile (round-trip) flight between Tingwall Airport in Lerwick and Unst. In the test, a twin-engine UAV with an autopilot system was used to carry out the trip. Once at the destination, the drone unloads and the local post office delivers the letters and packages. Each UAV can carry up to 100kg of mail of all shapes and sizes. Beyond helping to connect rural communities, Royal Mail believes that UAVs will help it further reduce its carbon emissions. Simon Thompson, CEO of Royal Mail, commented: “Our goal is to deliver on time, regardless of our customer’s location or the weather, while protecting our environment. Although we go everywhere, Royal Mail already has the emissions of lowest CO2 per year”. package delivered, this initiative will help further reduce our emissions.” The launch will be subject to approvals from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), but Royal Mail aims to deploy 200 drones over the next three years to support more than 50 new routes. In the long term, Royal Mail said it aims to more than double that number to create a fleet of 500 drones “serving every corner of the UK”. (Image credit: Colin Keldie, courtesy of the SATE project) Want to learn about IoT from industry leaders? Take a look at the IoT Tech Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California and London. Explore other upcoming business technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here. Tags: deliveries, drones, logistics, royal mail, uav, windracers