Big Blue sky thinking on pass-the-parcel drones

IBM inventors have been granted a patent for transferring packages between drones during flight. One of the major limitations for deliveries drones has been the fact that the aerial vehicles have a relatively short range. This is especially true of the rotor drones, which require a lot of energy to stay airborne.

However, IBM believes that the in-flight package transfer system – described in US Patent No. 9,561,852 – can help to overcome this problem, as the drone can pass the baton between them and relay the packages from a warehouse to a customer’s home.

In a statement issued on Friday (28 April), IBM said its inventors “developed this patented system using their supply chain expertise to enable precise delivery services to customers using drones”.