Send in the DRONE doctors! 'Parcelcopter' will fly medicine and urgent goods to a remote German island
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Drones could soon be delivering everything from drugs to clothing, if companies such as Amazon and Google have their way.
And now that vision has come a step closer to reality after DHL was granted permission to carry out the first ever authorised drone delivery in Europe.
The logistics firm, owned by Germany's Deutsche Post, will send its 'parcelcopter' flying at up to 40mph (65km/h) to the car-free island of Juist, off Germany's northern coast.
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Drones could soon be delivering everything from drugs to clothing, if companies such as Amazon and Google have their way. And now that vision has come a step closer to reality after DHL was granted permission to carry out the first ever authorised drone delivery in Europe. Pictured is DHL's parcelcopter
The drone is designed to deliver medication and other urgently needed goods to the island at times when other modes of transport are not operating.
If the trial is successful, the craft could be used to deliver packages to other remote areas, or in emergencies.
However, critics of delivery drones have raised concerns over privacy and whether the technology is safe, claiming drones could hit other aircraft or even people.
For the Juist project, Deutsche Post has received permission from the German transport ministry and air traffic control authority for a restricted flight area that will be used only by its parcelcopter.
The parcelcopter is designed to deliver medication and other urgently needed goods to the island at times when other modes of transport are not operating. If the trial is successful, the craft could be used to deliver packages to other remote areas or in emergencies
The drone will also not fly over any houses, a spokeswoman for DHL Parcel told Reuters.
The craft has four rotors, weighs around 11lbs (5kg) and can carry loads of up to 2.6lbs (1.2kg).
Its flight is completely automated, although it will be monitored from the ground and, depending on weather conditions, the 7 mile (12km) trip to Juist will take between 15 and 30 minutes.
Flights to the North Sea island, home to around 1,700 people, will start from Friday, weather permitting, and will continue until the middle or end of October, the spokeswoman said.
DHL joins the likes of Amazon and Google in testing the potential for drones to deliver parcels and packages.
Google, for instance, has already built and tested self flying drones designed to deliver packages.
Juist is one of the seven inhabited East Frisian Islands at the edge of the Lower Saxon Wadden Sea in the southern North Sea. Flights to the island, home to 1,700 people, will start from Friday, weather permitting, and will continue until the middle or end of October. It will be first to receive a drone delivery in Europe
Called Project Wing, its drones are being developed at Google X, the company's secret research lab, which is also developing its self-driving car and Glass wearable computer.
Like DHL, the firm said the drones could eventually be used for disaster relief by delivering aid to isolated areas - and for package delivery.
Amazon, meanwhile, is asking the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to use drones as part of its plan to deliver packages to customers in 30 minutes or less.
The aircraft can travel at more than 50mph (80km/h) and carry loads of up to 5lbs (2.2kg). About 86 per cent of Amazon's deliveries are 5lbs (2.2kg) or less, the company said.
Amazon is asking the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to use drones (pictured) as part of its plan to deliver packages to customers in 30 minutes or less. The online retailer created a media frenzy in December when it outlined plans to deliver packages with self-guided aircraft
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