Korea to pilot drone home deliveries

The Korean Government will test drones to deliver goods to people’s homes by 2020.

“This may sound a bit too ambitious, but the government is pushing to make home delivery by drones routine,” said Chang Yeo-jin, Flight Policy Division, Ministry of Land, Transport and Infrastructure.

The government is piloting the idea in two stages. By next year, it will trial drones to carry packages weighing less than 5kg from one point to another within a 5km radius. The next “door to door” stage from 2018 will test drones to carry packages directly to people’s homes.

The ministry is working with six businesses and universities on the project, which will use locally made multicopters - drones with multiple helicopter-like propellers above. Officials also plan to trial with foreign-made drones.

“We hope to develop a business model from which both businesses and consumers can benefit,” Chang said. Elsewhere, Singapore's postal service is testing the world's first delivery of a parcel over water using a drone (see video below).

Malaysia wants to learn from Switzerland's postal drone trials to deliver aid to flooded areas, while Bhutan is piloting drones to deliver medicines and pick up blood samples in remote hilly areas.

Read about these five great government drone projects in the region.