Going off-road used to mean tearing up dirt tracks in a powerful four-by-four or gigantic monster truck.
For two ambitious tech start-ups however, the term has come to comprise something more subtle and potentially revolutionary.
For the past 18 months Matternet and Aria — separate companies born out of the the same Silicon Valley incubator — have been working towards creating a roving network of automated drones that will help connect rural and under-developed areas with little access to existing road or highway systems.
While the idea may sound far-fetched to those unfamiliar with the latest in civilian drone technology, preliminary vehicle testing has already taken place.
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“The easiest way to describe what we are doing is to compare how mobile telephony has taken off in the developing world,” said Matternet founder and CEO, Andreas Raptopoulos.
“(We want) to leapfrog the traditional modes of transportation infrastructure in a similar way and bring items through these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to people who may otherwise be cut off or isolated,” he added.
A network of drones
The idea stems from when Raptopoulos led a research group including the company’s three other co-founders at the Singularity University in Silicon Valley.
They envisioned employing a fleet of drones with a two kilogram payload capacity and a six mile flight-range.
These automated vehicles would be complimented on the ground by a vast network of strategically positioned hubs, enabling drones to recharge their batteries every few miles before continuing to the next station (where the recharging process is repeated) or final destination.
Control of the drones and the assignment of packages for delivery would eventually be handled by an automated operating system. Orders or requests could then be placed and paid for by cell phone.
The potential applications, Raptopoulos explained, include delivery of medicines to disconnected areas, enabling farmers to supply products directly to customers and providing vital materials to areas cut off by natural disasters.
In the future, he adds, the concept could also be adapted to enhance the transport or distribution systems of large cities.
source:http://edition.cnn.com
Tags: Could drones, gigantic monster truck, tearing up dirt tracks
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