A2Z Drone Delivery launches commercial dual-payload UAV featuring its Freefall Delivery System

Photo: A2Z Drone Delivery

A2Z Drone Delivery LLC, developer of a patented tethered freefall drone delivery mechanism, has launched its RDSX commercial delivery UAV.

The company delivered the UAV in collaboration with a global logistics provider to deliver dual payloads per flight, helping drone service providers streamline deliveries while mitigating consumer concerns with residential drone delivery. The RDSX integrates A2Z Drone Delivery’s proprietary tethered freefall Rapid Delivery System capable of quickly and safely delivering payloads from altitudes as high as 150 feet. By keeping spinning rotors far from people and property, the RDSX helps mitigate consumer concerns with drone deliveries—such as the potential for property damage and intrusive rotor noise—and assuages some of the privacy concerns with low-flying unmanned aerial vehicles.

A2Z Drone Delivery will be showcasing the new RDSX at the Commercial UAV Expo (September 7-9, 2021 in Las Vegas, NV).

The RDSX is a flexible drone delivery platform capable of carrying dual payloads each weighing up to two kilograms on a round trip of up to 18 kilometers. Alternatively, it can be configured with a single tether to expand its range out to 30 kilometers. The controlled-freefall delivery method it employs allows UAV service providers to reduce time-on-station to a minimum by delivering the package to the ground in seconds and eliminating the need for the drone to touch down. By maintaining its altitude throughout the delivery, the RDSX keeps spinning rotors away from people and property, mitigating consumer concerns and enabling it to deposit payloads into areas congested by trees, wires, or other dangerous obstructions.

The integrated A2Z Drone Delivery app combines manual control system operations with an onboard computer and sensor array to manage the package’s controlled-freefall and gentle stop before the ground. With the package delivered, the RDSX’s Kevlar tether and auto-release mechanism releases the payload before being reeled back up for reuse.

A2Z Drone Delivery’s freefall delivery technology has previously been leveraged for residential drone delivery trials, deployment and retrieval of ground sensors for energy exploration, as well as for shore-to-ship port delivery. The technology is equally applicable for first responders delivering life-saving medicine, for search and rescue professionals quickly deploying equipment to remote areas, or for rapidly collecting samples throughout an expansive mining facility.

The RDSX leverages a proven UAV flight platform equipped with a pair of cameras allowing pilots to navigate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). Additionally, the system features an independent downward-facing LiDAR sensing system to stream continuous data to the onboard firmware which controls the payload’s rapid descent and allows the pilot to visually monitor payloads through flight and delivery. Featuring quick-swap bucket-style batteries to limit downtime between flights, the RDSX can operate in diverse conditions including temperatures ranging from -20 to 45 Celsius, in up to 95% humidity, and from elevations up to 4,800 feet. Additionally, the RDSX’s eight rotor arms, fitted with durable carbon fiber propellers, can fold away for easy transport of the drone.

With its patented delivery system, A2Z Drone Delivery, LLC is developing innovative solutions to enable safe, accurate and low-noise drone deliveries. Its flagship delivery system, the RDS1 (Rapid Delivery System) enables payload delivery and retrieval to locations where most UAVs are unable to land, and its RDSX is a commercial multi-payload delivery system designed to meet the needs of the growing drone delivery industry. Based in Los Angeles, A2Z Drone Delivery originated as a drone delivery project at Brown University in 2016.