Swedish home drone delivery pilot deemed a ‘success’

Stockholm-based Aerit, a provider of sustainable drone delivery services, has completed its pilot of home deliveries, with drones carrying groceries and retail products to the homes of ten volunteers.

The project was funded by research and development company Vinnova and was carried out in collaboration with private innovation hub ICAx as well as public bodies like the Research Institutes of Sweden and the governing body of Norrtälje – a municipality northeast of the Swedish capital where the pilot was carried out.

The deliveries took place over six days and through extreme weather conditions, including snow and temperatures below -10°C. Volunteers requested delivery of goods through the ICA Pronto mobile app and waited for the drones to arrive with their products.

Aerit’s flagship model is a battery-powered delivery drone that it calls ‘Nimbi’. The Nimbi Model can carry up to 4kg and features a proprietary winching system that allows for both package pick-up and drop-off without the need for supporting infrastructure.

Designed to evaluate both the viability of drone deliveries and the public’s reception of the service, Chief Executive of Aerit Alex Perrien described the pilot project as “an unqualified success”.

Perrien claimed: “We reliably provided access to goods and services in harsh weather conditions to locations that normally require several modes of transportation to reach. We have replaced short car and boat trips to the store with Nimbi flights, reducing travel time while improving safety and sustainability.”