News & Analysis
The grid, reported.
Independent coverage of drone delivery regulation, operators, technology and business — updated daily.
TECHNOLOGY
Unifly: the Belgian company building U-space infrastructure across Europe
Unifly is a Belgian UTM and U-space service provider that has been developing the airspace management infrastructure for commercial drone operations in Europe since 2015. Its work with multiple European ANSPs and national aviation authorities makes it one of the most embedded USS platforms on the continent.
TECHNOLOGY
Packaging for drone delivery: the design constraints that shape what gets delivered
Drone delivery imposes specific constraints on packaging that road delivery does not: weight limits, dimensional limits, acceleration and vibration profiles, and in drop delivery systems, impact tolerance. Here is how those constraints shape what can be delivered and how it must be packaged.
TECHNOLOGY
AirMap: the USS platform that has been at the centre of UTM development since the beginning
AirMap was founded in 2014 and has been involved in UTM development since before the term was widely used. As one of the original LAANC-approved service suppliers in the United States, the company has been central to the development of the airspace management infrastructure that commercial drone delivery depends on.
TECHNOLOGY
How the airspace stays safe when drones share it with other aircraft
Hundreds of drone flights can share the same airspace with manned aviation, birds, and each other — safely. The system that makes this possible is UTM: Unmanned Traffic Management. Here is how it works, in plain language.
TECHNOLOGY
How far can a delivery drone fly? Understanding range, payload and the trade-offs
TECHNOLOGY
What’s inside a delivery drone: the key components explained
TECHNOLOGY
What is drone delivery? A complete beginner’s introduction
TECHNOLOGY
What geofencing does in commercial drone operations — and why it matters for safety
TECHNOLOGY
How packages reach the ground: comparing winch, drop and landing delivery mechanisms