Chiba drone alliance pushes for delivery service by 2019

CHIBA – A city near Tokyo has joined hands with the central government and other partners to commercialize a drone-based delivery service it calls "the first step of an industrial revolution in the air." "We want to get a head start in the building of a future-oriented community and disseminate the idea to the rest of the world," Chiba Mayor Toshihito Kumagai said. The service, also involving private companies and research institutions, is expected to be launched by 2019. There, smaller drones will be loaded with individual packages for delivery to the balconies of high-rise condominiums in the same ward. The drones will all be programmed to fly autonomously using the GPS system.