The future of the delivery van: Mercedes concept comes complete with robot shelves and drone parking on the roof to deliver to the door

Mercedes-Benz has transformed a van into a mobile distribution center - complete with drone parking. Teaming up with drone startup Matternet, the concept'Vision Van' acts as a landing and launch pad for Matternet M2 delivery drones that can carry up to 4.4 pounds for 12 miles on a single charge. These drones connect to Mercedes-Benz van's on-board and cloud-based systems that automatically loads items into the drone with the help of robotic shelving systems. Mercedes-Benz has transformed a van into a mobile distribution center. Teaming up with drone startup Matternet, the concept'Vision Van' acts as a landing and launch pad for Matternet M2 delivery drones that can carry up to 4.4 pounds for 12 miles on a single charge Using software and robots, packages are scanned, sorted and placed in specific racks, which are then loaded on to the truck with a driverless handling vehicle. Unlike Amazon and Google, Mercedes designed its method to work alongside human workers, which steer the van using a joystick and still delivery packages on foot.