Dutch companies test drone delivery to smart mailbox

Two Dutch companies have joined forces to explore the use of drones to deliver packages to smart, internet-connected mailboxes. This way, there’s no mailman needed and the customer doesn’t need to be at home at the time of delivery.

Delivery specialist B2C Europe has teamed up with mailbox manufacturer Parcer to develop a new delivery service for online orders. This service is based on Parcer’s mailboxes, which are connected to the internet and allow consumers to have parcels delivered directly to their homes without them needing to be there.

The two companies want to use drones to deliver parcels to these boxes. The drones are programmed to open the Parcer boxes using RFID technology, after which they can drop the parcel inside the smart mailbox. “By removing the need for a human to place the parcel in the locker, deliveries can be scheduled at any time of day or night, and the boxes can be located anywhere that is accessible by air, whether that is a back garden or a balcony”, the companies state in their press release.

B2C Europe director: ‘Flying deliveries are complete PR stunt’

It’s quite surprising to see B2C Europe teaming up to offer drone delivery, as the company’s managing director, Stuart Rivett, told the Financial Times in March this year that “practical limits on the weight of any drone package are a handicap to introducing flying deliveries”. He dismissed Amazon’s experiments as a complete PR stunt…