Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

France Becomes First Federal Postal Service To Use Drones To Deliver Mail (vice.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the heads-up dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: The French postal service is beginning an experimental drone delivery program to deliver parcels on a nine mile route once a week. After the program gets approval from the French aviation regulatory authority, the federal postal service will be the first to ever use drone delivery on a regular route. The drones used in the French postal service experiment have the capacity to fly up to 12 miles carrying about two pounds maximum, going around 19 miles per hour. They are also equipped with parachutes for safe emergency landing in case something disrupts the flight. The eventual goal is to reach rural or mountainous regions that are otherwise difficult and expensive to get to using cars. The drone mail delivery program has been a project of the DPDgroup, Europe's second largest international parcel delivery network, operating as a subsidiary under the French national postal service. The DPDgroup had been working on this program with Atechsys, a French drone company, since 2014 in the south of France. "The first commercial line represents a new step in the program," DPDgroup said in a press release. With the testing phase now over, the experimentation phase is all set to begin. Currently, those participating in the experiment to receive parcels are non-residential, including over ten tech companies. The done routes stretch over the southeastern region of Provence, going between Saint-Maximin-La-Sainte-Beaume and Pourrieres.

29 of 45 comments (clear)

  1. The USPS union will stop this in the usa! by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    The USPS union will stop this in the usa!

    1. Re:The USPS union will stop this in the usa! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You're not going to see drones replace postal carriers in the delivery of non-time-critical mail any time soon. Too many addresses, too little money paid per envelope.

      You will, however, see drones used for urgent intra-city deliveries, things couriers are used for today. So don't worry about the postal workers' union, worry about the couriers and their supporters.

    2. Re:The USPS union will stop this in the usa! by arth1 · · Score: 2

      You will, however, see drones used for urgent intra-city deliveries, things couriers are used for today.

      Doubtful. One of the main reasons for using couriers is to ensure delivery. No drone service will be able to guarantee that, as long as kids have slingshots and drones piss raptors off.

      It will likely be best effort delivery on automated routes, which means... spam!

    3. Re:The USPS union will stop this in the usa! by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

      they made robot raptors?

  2. Missing the obvious by Quakeulf · · Score: 2, Funny

    I guess the drones substitute the snails. Since they are all eaten up.

  3. France does not have a Federal Postal service by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    France does not have a postal service referred to as Federal.

  4. France, federation? by orient · · Score: 5, Informative

    France is not a federation, it is a unitary sovereign state.

    --
    Laudele lor desigur m-ar mahni peste masura.
    1. Re:France, federation? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I'll take pedantry for $500, Alex

    2. Re:France, federation? by MerlinTheWizard · · Score: 1

      France is not a federation, it is a unitary sovereign state.

      Only in theory. :)

    3. Re:France, federation? by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Informative

      I wouldn't call it being pedantic. While the United States is a federated government. Where we have 50 states with their own set of rules and constitutions with a federal government to oversee the states.
      France's government isn't like the US. And its postal service isn't federal.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  5. Pardon my ignorance by avgapon · · Score: 1

    Pardon my ignorance, but why is the postal service of France a federal postal service?

    1. Re:Pardon my ignorance by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It isn't but on Slashdot the whole world is American.

    2. Re:Pardon my ignorance by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      The editors aren't. Even Joe "tard school" Dragon writes better than they do.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  6. Re:Target practice! by jonyen · · Score: 1

    This is where spam mail comes in handy as a disincentive for shooting down drones.

  7. Re: France? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    France is not a Federal Republic

  8. Mail pickup? by jonyen · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Delivery by drone is nice, but using drones for mail pickup is still a largely unsolved problem.

    1. Re:Mail pickup? by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      Delivery by drone is nice, but using drones for mail pickup is still a largely unsolved problem.

      I don't think it is. You make a drone with a box attached. If it fits, and it isn't too heavy, and it isn't too off-balance, then it ships.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  9. Re:France? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Oh you're one of those people. Got it.

  10. Re:France? by Quakeulf · · Score: 1

    Le Japanese flag without le blood.

  11. My thoughts exactly by raymorris · · Score: 3, Informative

    My thoughts exactly. Someone said it's pedantic to make note of this, and one could argue that *because* the error isn't related to the point of the story, the error should be ignored. Perhaps so.

    However, it is important that in general people remember that a federal system is *not* a national government like France has. A federal system (compare "federation") has a group of independent states/units who grant the union government powers in specific areas, for specific purposes. The power of a federal government can be at most level with the power of it's members (though member states can delegate *specific areas* to the common government and defer to the federal government in those specified topics.

  12. Speciall deliveuree - a beurmb. by Hognoxious · · Score: 2

    Speciall deliveuree - a beurmb.

    A beurmb? Were we expecteeng weun?

    A beurmb, a beurmb!

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  13. Federal? by Pig+Hogger · · Score: 2

    France is not a federation; it’s an unitary state

  14. history of innovation by DavidMZ · · Score: 4, Informative

    Actually, the french postal service has a history of innovation (e.g. le Minitel), and has handled very cleverly the changes brought by internet (less mail, more packages): they are now the #2 package delivery provider in Europe.

    Sending drones instead of people to remote areas is a good idea: there are fewer regulations than in the cities, and it is probably more profitable too than sending people.

    1. Re:history of innovation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Hmm, not to forget the 1860s era pantelegraph in France. However, Amurikins like to think that they invented everything.

  15. Re:Safe Emergency Landing by jtgd · · Score: 1

    None, if you power off the props just before ejected the parachute.

    --
    J
  16. Original numbers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The original numbers in the press release:

    The French postal service is beginning an experimental drone delivery program to deliver parcels on a 15 kilometre route once a week. [...]The drones used in the French postal service experiment have the capacity to fly up to 20 kilometres carrying 3kg maximum, going around 30 kilometres per hour.

    I don't know why Motherboard saw the need to convert these perfectly clear values into units that more than 95% of people have to convert back before they can make sense of them. I do know that they made a mistake in converting the maximum payload.

  17. Strikes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Meanwhile. All the postal staff are on strike. Drones dont strike. Tho the techs looking after them might.

  18. sabotage? by grumling · · Score: 2

    No way will French workers put up with this nonsense. Look for strikes and sabotage.

    --
    "Well, good luck finding a judge that doesn't run a bestiality site."
  19. Re:Video of French drones in flight. by Guybrush_T · · Score: 1

    Good one. More seriously, this one is the real thing :

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpSrTSPh9Hw