Robot Drones to Begin Servicing Beijing Neighborhoods in June

Beijing takes its next step towards becoming a fully-automated city when unmanned drone delivery begins this June with six-wheeled robots, currently being tested in the high-tech area of Zhongguancun.

"Yellow Horse" is a self-driving vehicular drone that can distribute packages at a cost of less than RMB 1 per delivery.

Made by Zhenji Robotics, the drone is designed to avoid pedestrians and traffic using its radar and camera and is precise enough to track its current location to within 3 centimeters.

Flying cars are around the corner

The meter-high drone can take on a cargo weight of 30kg and travel at speeds of up to 12 kilometers per hour at a distance of up to 60 to 80 kilometers.

Recipients can schedule a meeting with the delivery drone at a convenient place and time, at which time they can unlock the drone and receive their packages by scanning a QR code.

As cute as the drone may appear, it is by no means a pushover. The Yellow Horse is equipped with a GPS tracker in case it gets stolen as well as a voice-activated alarm to deter anyone from getting too close.

With the rise of e-commerce platforms, many Beijing residents have enjoyed the convenience of China's home delivery service known in Chinese as kuàidì (快递). But although the sight of deliverymen sending packages has been a common sight, their usefulness seems to have come to an end.

Deliveries come in L, M and S

Zhenji CEO Liu Zhiyong told the Beijing Daily that robots like the Yellow Horse represent the logical next step for China's logistics industry.

"Labor in the logistics industry takes up over 50 percent of costs, swallowing a huge portion of corporate profits and service quality. Of the 4 million people who work in this industry, 2 million are assigned to delivery," said Liu, noting that deliveries sent by humans cost an average of RMB 1.5 each.

"The cost of distribution for the last kilometer of distribution is five times that of the first one thousand kilometers, showing what a big problem this is."

Meanwhile, automation has begun throughout Beijing, replacing humans with robots in several fields. Several staffless stores have opened in the capital while the local government has authorized testing of self-driving cars on its roads. Additionally, robots have begun being put to work in Beijing hospitals, old age homes, and even funeral parlors.

Despite the new rollout of vehicular drones, Beijing has prohibited the use of aerial drones within its Fifth Ring Road.

Zhenji is currently testing its drones in Guangdong and hopes to begin trial runs on a four-legged drone capable of climbing stairs.

Images: BJ News (163.com), Weibo.com, Takefoto.cn

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