The Los Angeles-based company, A2Z Drone Delivery, has launched its second-generation Rapid Delivery System (RDS). The RDS2 automated delivery winch eliminates the need for specialty cargo boxes and is capable of delivering any payload up to 10 kg/22 pounds, making it the highest payload capacity delivery winch on the market.
As explained by A2Z’s CEO Aaron Zhang, most drone delivery systems in deployment today require payloads to be packaged in special boxes, pouches, or onboard payload compartments. But the RDS2 is designed to meet what every shipper wants, using what every shipper has. It can auto-release the shipper’s own boxes, removing the need for a recipient on the ground to meet the drone and retrieve packages without landing.
The RDS2 is factory installed on A2Z’s all-new RDST integrated cargo drone, which offers service providers an off-the-shelf drone delivery system for last-mile deliveries.
While designed for the rigors of rapidly-expanding residential drone delivery applications, the RDS2 and RDST are ideal for many logistics challenges like delivering medical supplies or life-saving equipment for search and rescue operations. The RDS2 is a reliable piece of machinery, which already has completed more than 2,000 test deliveries, the company says. It is currently deployed with six of the company’s beta test partners who have tested the platform in a diverse array of applications.
Featuring a compact design, the new RDS2 maintains the redundant safety mechanisms of its predecessor, including its payload monitoring system, passive payload lock, manual or automatic tether controls, and tether abandonment should it become inadvertently entangled. In addition to these, the RDS2 brings some new features to the table, such as a heavy-duty drive motor that enables it to deliver payloads up to 10 kg (22 pounds), its ability to work with any off-the-shelf boxes, an optional manual-release general-purpose payload hook that can deliver or pick up anything from bags to buckets, and the A2Z assistant – intuitive desktop application for maintenance, system configuration, etc.
While the RDST features an integrated RDS2, the standalone Rapid Delivery System can also be installed on an array of popular enterprise delivery UAVs. The RDST integrated cargo drone employs a stable and redundant octocopter configuration paired with the RDS2 to offer drone service providers a ready-to-fly delivery system.
While the operational range of the platform is dependent on payload specifics, the RDST can extend operations up to a 9-mile round trip from the main distribution center. The RDST is designed to satisfy the entire range of payloads modern drone operators need to carry and is rated for safe flight with payloads up to 5kg/11 pounds. The RDST stands 29 inches tall, and its rotors easily collapse for transport in the provided flight case.
The all-new A2Z Drone Delivery RDS2 Rapid Delivery System and the ready-to-fly RDST integrated cargo drone can be purchased through the company website.
