Singapore Post tests drone mail service

Singapore Post tests drone mail service

Singapore Post said it has used a drone to deliver mail to an island community, joining other postal services such as Finland which are testing unmanned aerial vehicles to deliver packages.

The trial is said to be a world-first to use a drone to deliver mail, reported The Straits Times.

The test flight took five minutes and carried a letter and a T-shirt for a total distance of two kilometres (1.24 miles) - from Lorong Halus to Pulau Ubin, Singapore Post said.

The delivery comes as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong promotes plans to develop Singapore into a "smart city" to better compete against Shanghai, San Francisco and Sydney.

SingPost said the drone is able to carry up to half a kilogramme, fly at a height of up to 45m and travel a distance of 2.3km.

Singapore is introducing initiatives such as letting people access maps and build up databases so they can share information such as traffic incidents or the best eateries.

Singapore is also looking to introduce driverless cars, a pet project of Google since 2009 aimed at revolutionising the automobile industry.

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