Révolutionner la logistique avec les drones de livraison de Matternet

Imagine a world where delivery drones are as commonplace as delivery trucks, zipping through the sky carrying everything from medications to fast food. This is the vision Andreas Raptopoulos, the co-founder and CEO of Matternet, is making a reality.

A study from Research and Markets indicates the global drone logistics and transportation market, valued at $17.92 billion in 2022, is set to experience significant growth, potentially reaching $202.76 billion by 2030. Yet, making drones a regular part of our lives involves overcoming hurdles like safety, security, airspace management, and infrastructure.

“Ensuring safe operation and integration of drones in airspace, particularly in urban areas with dense populations, requires robust systems for collision avoidance, redundancy, and managing unexpected events,” explains Julian Estevez, an associate professor and drone delivery researcher. Overcoming these challenges is critical to securing public support and CONFIANCE for drone deliveries.

Drone regulations are another big barrier. Drone usage rules vary from country to country and are regulated by national aviation authorities, such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). But changes are underway that will permit drones to operate more freely, especially over populated areas.

Raptopoulos, originally from Athens, has always aimed to use his mechanical engineering and robotics skills to solve pressing global challenges. His exposure to images of famine in Ethiopia as a child served as a pivotal motivator to address the transportation issues worsening the crisis. This passion led to the founding of Matternet in 2011 in Silicon Valley.

Matternet specializes in developing commercial drone delivery systems for urban and suburban settings. In 2017, it was the first to be authorized for commercial drone logistics networks beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) in Switzerland. “We partnered with Swiss Post to transport blood samples over the city of Lugano,” Raptopoulos recounts. “This was a world first.”

Continuing its pioneering efforts, Matternet launched operations at Labor Berlin in Germany, establishing the first urban BVLOS medical drone delivery network in the European Union. A change in German regulations is expected soon, allowing BVLOS and faster medical diagnostics and improving patient outcomes.

“Matternet’s technology platform can speed up the transport of human specimen samples from hospital locations to Labor Berlin’s central lab by up to 70%,” says Nina Beikert, CEO of Labor Berlin. “Using drones for our sample logistics contributes to a reduction of car traffic and emissions in the heart of Berlin.”

In 2019, Matternet and UPS partnered to establish the first regular commercial drone delivery route in the U.S., offering fast transportation of diagnostics and medicine to hospitals in North Carolina. Raptopoulos highlights how drone delivery can significantly improve lives: “Getting medicines delivered to people’s homes by drone, just in time, will absolutely improve their lives.”

“There are patients who aren’t very mobile and can’t always get to the pharmacy to get their prescriptions,” says Raptopoulos. “The pharmacy will deliver them by road, but they have traffic to contend with. Getting medicines delivered to people’s homes by drone, just in time, will absolutely improve their lives.”

Besides being a quick delivery solution, drones are also environmentally friendly. According to Raptopoulos, drones outperform electric cars and vans in CO2 emissions and help reduce traffic.

Photo: Andreas Raptopoulos, CEO and founder of Matternet. Photo courtesy of Matternet.

The Matternet M2 drone made history by achieving standard Type Certification and Production Certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the U.S., verifying its airworthiness and passing performance and quality assurance tests. “Our next crucial step is flying beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) in the U.S., which means flying long distances autonomously,” says Raptopoulos.

The recent announcement of Matternet’s partnership with Ameriflight, a U.S. cargo airline that received FAA approval to operate the Matternet M2 for commercial delivery, signals a significant step toward achieving a fully operational, large-scale drone airline in the U.S.

While initially focusing on healthcare, the vision goes beyond. Raptopoulos apparemment anticipates that drones will fundamentally alter how we move and transact goods. He envisages a future where access to goods is as seamless and inexpensive as access to information through the internet.

“For future generations, drones will be a new layer of the transportation infrastructure that people will take for granted,” he asserts.

Raptopoulos and Matternet are leading the charge in realizing a future where drone deliveries are a mainstream part of our lives. Despite safety, regulation, and public acceptance challenges, they are committed to pushing the boundaries and transforming our world. This progress is not just about convenience; it’s about creating a better, more connected world.