Some things just make so much sense, you wonder why they hadn’t been done sooner. DJI, the world’s preeminent civilian drone camera producer, has announced it is getting into the urban delivery market. Unveiled at CES 2024, the DJI FlyCart 30 (FC30) has the potential to revolutionise e-commerce shipping, food delivery and if Michael Jordan has anything to say about it, booze rounds. A drone producer making drones for delivery? Why didn’t we think of that?
According to DJI, the FlyCart 30 (FC30) has been under development for quite some time, with the technology company steadily working on improving basic functionality. While the brand’s lineup of camera drones is arguably the world’s best, they don’t bare the necessity of carrying objects. As a result, DJI reportedly ran into the issue of payload capacity, something Christina Zhang, senior director of corporate strategy at DJI revealed was a major talking point.
“From agriculture to construction management and surveying, DJI’s industrial-grade drones have transformed industries by improving safety for workers and productivity for businesses,” Zhang said. “We are optimistic that FlyCart 30 will become a trusted solution for aerial delivery, solving complex terrain and terminal transportation problems efficiently, economically, and most importantly, safely from the air.”
To improve and adapt to the new requirements, Zhang said the DJI team developed a “coaxial four-axis, eight-blade, multi-rotor configuration”. This unique dual-battery setup was constructed with carbon fibre propellers and can reportedly achieve a 20m/s maximum flight speed. Still light enough to take flight, DJI claims the new drone can carry a 30kg payload over 16km or 40kg over 8km; either way, it’s more than enough to satisfy your weekly grocery needs.
The unique system is propelled by the DJI O3 transmission, which maintains a stable connection between the drone and remote controllers up to 20 km away. There is also Dual Operator mode, which allows control to be transferred between two pilots in different locations with a single click.
While you could argue that the new DJI FlyCart 30 is designed to make online shopping more streamlined, there are some seriously exciting applications on offer. With IP55 protection, the drone can operate in temperatures ranging from -20° to 45° C (-4° to 122° F), and can fly in winds up to 12 m/s. That might not be amazing, but it does open the opportunity to use the drone for rescue support and supply administering to people who fall victim to natural disaster. For countries like Australia, where flood and fire consistently wreak hacov, the potneital for positive use cases is genuinely exciting.
At present, DJI has not confirmed when the FlyCart 30 will be revealed or at what price point, however, it may not be available for civilian use at all. Nevertheless, it is an intriguing development from one of the world’s best-loved technology companies.
