Drones at CeBIT
At the world’s largest trade fair for information technology, package delivery by drones is a big topic.
Under CeBIT 2016’s all-determining theme of “Digitalizing the Economy”, e-commerce and package delivery by drones is an exciting focus. By 2020 the consulting firm McKinsey expects same-day delivery in Western Europe to have a market share of three billion euros and around 15 percent of sales with standard parcels.
The major logistics companies have long recognized the trend. The online retailer Amazon, for example, is planning the delivery service “Prima Air”. It will bring packages weighing up to 2.5 kilograms to customers within 30 minutes by air. The range of the drones will be about 15 kilometers. Google, or more precisely Alphabet, is pursuing similar goals with its project “Wing”. In the coming year the group plans to begin using commercial drone delivery. The development of the small aircraft is currently taking place at Google X, the research laboratory where Google Glass is also designed. In Germany, the Deutsche Post presented the third generation of the “DHL Paketkopter” at the end of January 2016. The development of delivery drones is evidently well under way. When the first delivery by drone will in fact take place, however, is still unclear. For one thing, the technology is not yet fully developed. For another, numerous legal issues are still to be clarified. Visitors to CeBIT 2016 can inform themselves of the current state of things at the fair’s “Dronemaster Summit”.
Innovations from Switzerland
The CeBIT partner country Switzerland is presenting “Skye”, an interactive flying robot that operates as precisely as a quadcopter, but is as energy efficient as a zeppelin. A quadcopter is an unmanned aircraft that is run by remote control and ensures stable flight characteristics thanks to its four rotors. Global players such as Google and IBM, incidentally, have moved many of their departments for the development of new technology to Switzerland: the ICT industry there is already the country’s fifth largest economic sector, with a total value of 27 billion Swiss francs.
CeBIT, 14 to 18 March in Hannover
