Author: David Shimer / Source: New York Times
A drone demonstration outside Paris in September. “Right now, we are at the cusp of an industry that is completely changing, with tons of opportunities,” said Ellen Malfliet of Unifly, a Belgian company developing drone software systems. Christophe Archambault/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
LIMBURG, Belgium — Two years after Amazon completed its first delivery by commercial drone, the idea of routinely using unmanned devices to drop off items at front doors remains a distant, if not far-fetched, dream. The recent shutdown of London’s Gatwick Airport, caused by sightings of drones near the runway, underscored the risks and complexities of the efforts.
But as e-commerce continues to grow, drones have the potential to reduce the time, cost and energy needed for many everyday deliveries — assuming they are managed well and used safely.
Before a commercial drone industry can thrive, particularly in the crowded urban areas of Europe, different kinds of drones must be able to fly along their delivery routes without crashing into one another — and under a standardized set of regulations, experts say — not unlike cars on the road.
The path to proving that drones can operate together and be tracked in crowded skies has brought a group of companies to a former military airfield outside Brussels, where they will test their unmanned aviation technology. The project, known as Safir, will help the European authorities devise a set of rules for the commercial use of drones.
Among the largest companies taking part is Amazon Prime Air, the retailing giant’s drone unit. In December 2016, Amazon demonstrated how it might use drones when it documented the airborne delivery of a TV streaming device and a bag of popcorn to a customer in Cambridgeshire, England. Lately, the company has been developing an unmanned traffic management system — essentially, an air-traffic control system for drones.
But Amazon’s ambitions are just one part of the Safir initiative.
“It is about testing 10 drones with different purposes, applications and IT systems,” said Mark Vanlook, the chief executive of DronePort, the recently opened facility where the tests will take place.
The companies in the project fulfill a range of needs and purposes. Unifly, an aviation software company developing drone management systems, recently raised 14.6 million euros (about $16.7 million) from investors. Another company, Helicus, focuses on medical transport by drone, promising quicker delivery of critical medicine to hospitals. Both start-ups are based in Belgium.
Other participants produce drones that can assist law…
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