20 OCT 2022,
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - Drone Logistics Ecosystem members, AirGo Design Pte Ltd (Singapore) and the Australian drone manufacturer Freespace Operations Pty. Ltd. are forging entering a partnership to work lightweight drone delivery cargo solutions, in particular the standardised smart-DroneBox™ containers. Freespace Operations and AirGo are working towards adaptation of AirGo’s DroneboxTM/DroneFridgeTM/DroneDeliveryTM for the Australian market. To this end, the parties have started a drone delivery Proof-of-Concept using the smart - DroneboxTM. Freespace Operations has shown interest to become AirGo’s “exclusive” agent of DroneboxTM//DroneFridgeTM/DroneDeliveryTM products/solutions. AirGo has agreed that any additional technical support and implementation of novel concept used in the DroneboxTM//DroneFridgeTM/DroneDeliveryTM products shall be compensated/awarded by a licensing agreement between the parties.
“High value, small volume size, low weight & time-critical cargo delivery by industrial drone is an obvious area of interest to essential services & commercial enterprise alike. Here we face many challenges to practically implement the required outcomes with one of those particular problems to solve being integrating a cargo containment system package. Building a standardised multifunctional cargo system that is readily adapted to not just drone systems but also slot into the numerous traditional delivery methods already in place becomes a highly desirable & almost a necessity. Here AirGo & Freespace Operations have been working on this ‘Goldilocks’ solution since 2020 which has led to the formalisation of the Dronebox concept now put into production. Dronebox allows for rapid delivery of single or multiple units at one or more locations from a single drone flight which is the key variable to the economics being viable to operators. The merging of both our technologies has the potential for profound effect in the outcomes of drone delivery. ” Ken King, Founder & CEO of Freespace Operations Pty. Ltd.
“We are at the dawn of introduction of drone delivery industry, something that was considered sci-fi a decade ago. COVID19 pandemic has catalysed this industry, accelerating drone entrepreneurship- enticing investment and pressurizing aviation regulators to setup certification parameters. Drawing from our experience in lightweight composite product development in the aviation industry. AirGo is developing a lightweight landing gear system with automated drop-and-leave capabilities, to work with AirGo Design’s 9L standardised ultralight smart Droneboxes. This is the solution for the drone delivery operators, to extend the flight range and payload of their drones for automated delivery with GPS traceability for a safe and reliable goods/parcel/medical delivery.” Ali Jahanshahi, COO of AirGo Design Pte Ltd and Global Executive Director of DLE
ABOUT
AIRGO DESIGNS PTE. LTD. was founded in Singapore in 2013, with the aim to introduce innovative lightweight solutions for the aviation industry using cutting-edge composite technologies to replace metal in heavy-duty primary/secondary aero structures. AirGo engineering team has designed a universal multirotor landing gear system integrated with a safe and reliable automated drop-and-leave releasing mechanism, including 9L standardised ultralight, recyclable, and smart drone boxes. AirGo technology is currently being used in the aviation industry and beyond in automotive, advanced air mobility and electronics. Over the years, AirGo has been featured in 200+ news articles in 20 different languages. And has won multiple awards and prizes in design & engineering, material innovation and sustainability.
FREESPACE OPERATIONS is an Australian owned and operated manufacturer, delivering world leading industrial heavy lift multirotor drone systems to the commercial & defence sectors. Freespace Operations focuses on small to medium sized multirotor systems with their flagship heavy lifter Calisto 50 multirotor drone offering peerless performance and features globally allowing over 25kg of payload capacity and multirole capabilities. The Callisto UAS core philosophy is reliability, performance & modularity with the base model Callisto being the foundational platform that all capabilities are built on. Thus, multiple power options & payloads are available including high energy density battery, series hybrid petrol/heavy fuel systems, ground powered tether systems along with quick change payloads, slung payloads with automated drop-off, advanced ship-based take-off and landing marine capability and other advanced navigation features. Callisto is ‘Evergreen’ allowing for both hardware and software upgrades along the full life of the aircraft without planned obsolescence complimented by long-term maintenance options & field serviceability.