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Indonesia Tests the First Drone Delivery, Guess What is Inside the Box

Indonesia Tests the First Drone Delivery, Guess What is Inside the Box

We hear a lot about drones having the potential to revolutionize delivery and logistics. It’s easy to be dismissive — in many cases, a robot may take what would be a human’s job — but there are some examples where drone technology could genuinely be transformative.

One such case is Indonesia, the world’s fourth largest country that houses a population of more than 260 million people across some 17,000 islands. The country, which is the world’s largest archipelago, is the location for e-commerce giant JD.com’s first drone trial outside of its native China.

First drone delivery in Indonesia. Image: JD.id
First drone delivery in Indonesia. Image: JD.id

 

JD said today that it completed its first “government approved” drone delivery in the country earlier this month, on January 8, as reported by TechCrunch.

Rather than ferrying customer orders, the company used the tech to transport books and backpacks over 250km from Jagabita Village, Parung Panjang to students at MIS Nurul Falah Leles Elementary School in a village near Bandung, the country’s fourth-largest city.

Representatives from Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation, Civil Aviation and Air Navigation were present for the flight. The news was announced during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting.

This drone-based shipment was a trial that was part of a large donation that was delivered by conventional methods.

In a press statement, JD.ID CEO Zhang Li said that the project was part of the company’s commitment for the advancement of Indonesia beyond its business side, e27 reported.

Image: Sellular.id
This drone-based shipment was a trial that was part of a large donation that was delivered by conventional methods. Image: Sellular.id

 

For the company, the successful completion of the test will also open up opportunities for future use in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. JD.ID claims more than 20 million registered users in Indonesia and a catalog of more than one million products.

But, to give an idea of the challenge, its logistics effort is spread across 10 warehouses that span seven islands, which cover 483 cities and 6,500 counties. Clearly, nimble airborne solutions could have a huge impact if JD can make it reliable and gain the necessary government approvals.

 

 

Indah Gilang Pusparani

Indah is a researcher at Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Penelitian dan Pengembangan Daerah Kota Cirebon (Regional Development Planning and Research Agency of Cirebon Municipality). She covers More international relations, tourism, and startups in Southeast Asia region and beyond. Indah graduated from MSc Development Administration and Planning from University College London, United Kingdom in 2015. She finished bachelor degree from International Relations from University of Indonesia in 2014, with two exchange programs in Political Science at National University of Singapore and New Media in Journalism at Ball State University, USA. She was awarded Diplomacy Award at Harvard World Model United Nations and named as Indonesian Gifted Researcher by Australian National University. She is Researcher at Regional Planning Board in Cirebon, West Java. She previously worked as Editor in Bening Communication, the Commonwealth Parliament Association UK, and diplomacy consulting firm Best Delegate LLC in USA. Less
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