"Drones Carry, Robots Deliver to the Doorstep"... First Step for Unmanned Delivery Demonstration

For the first time in South Korea, an unmanned logistics service that enables 'doorstep delivery' through collaboration between drones and autonomous robots has been demonstrated. By combining high-capacity drones capable of transporting up to 40 kg with delivery robots, this initiative is seen as overcoming the limitations of conventional drone delivery.

The Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) announced on April 24 that, together with the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), it has established and begun demonstration of a 'drone-robot collaborative doorstep delivery system.' In this system, drones automatically fly goods from a logistics hub to an area near the delivery destination, after which a robot takes over to complete the last leg of the delivery to the final address.

A drone is transporting goods to a docking station near Bijangdo Island in Jeju. Provided by Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA)

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Traditional drone delivery services have been limited to transporting goods only to designated landing points, making actual doorstep delivery difficult. In contrast, by linking drones and robots, contactless delivery to the recipient's doorstep becomes possible, thereby enhancing the completeness of the service.

This demonstration was conducted over the course of a month, starting on March 26, in the area encompassing Geumnyeong Port and Biyangdo Island in Jeju. Users could order products through the public Jeju drone delivery app 'Meokgaebi.' Drones would then transport goods to a docking station near Biyangdo Island, after which autonomous robots delivered them to the front of each home or restaurant.

Demonstrations were carried out not only during the day but also at night and under various weather conditions. Scenarios reflected real-life environments, including the delivery of daily necessities, food, and return shipments of local specialties, with loads of up to 40 kg. The delivery points were set at 56 locations on Biyangdo Island.

An autonomous robot carrying goods delivered by a drone to the docking station on Biyangdo Island, Jeju, is moving towards the delivery location. Provided by Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA)

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This project, titled 'Development of Drone-Robot Linked Urban High-Capacity Freight Multimodal Delivery Technology,' is being pursued from 2023 to 2026. The core objective is to establish a system that enables contactless transportation of high-capacity freight in urban and island regions by integrating drones and robots.

Based on the issues identified in this Jeju demonstration, the Korea Aerospace Administration plans to improve the system and expand the demonstration area starting from the second half of 2026. The goal is to verify the potential for expansion not only to logistics-vulnerable areas such as islands and mountainous regions, but also to urban deliveries in the future.

Tae seog Oh, Administrator of the Korea Aerospace Administration, stated, "Collaborative delivery using drones and robots is a core technology for logistics innovation," adding, "We will strengthen support to resolve remaining challenges during commercialization and aim for full-scale commercialization within the next five years."

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