At the end of last year, the government opened applications for the Low-altitude Economy Regulatory Sandbox ("Sandbox") to allow the industry to test the application of drones in different scenarios within designated flight routes.
Yesterday (March 20), the authorities announced that 38 sandbox projects had been approved, all of which involved the carriage of goods and did not include manned projects, including delivery of takeaways and medicines, etc. Most of the routes surrounded the coastal areas of the Science Park, Cyberport, Islands District, and Ma On Shan, etc., and there were projects for the carriage of emergency supplies and search and rescue, and the inspection of aerial cables, etc.
It is expected that the various projects will be on trial for half a year. Among them, Keeta will test the use of drones to deliver takeaways across the sea from next month at the earliest, and the first flight route is from the Science Park to Ma On Shan Park on the other side of the sea, which is expected to arrive in 10 minutes, with the same transportation cost as that of traditional manual delivery, and it is hoped that the routes can be further expanded after the trial. The first participating restaurants include McDonald's and Pizza Hut.
The person in charge said he expects to arrange four to five drones to deliver takeaways, flying at a speed of 10 meters per second. He also said that drone delivery is targeted at orders with time or geographical constraints, and that there is a large demand for delivery in Hong Kong, so he is confident in the service. As to whether the transportation cost of drone delivery will be more expensive, the person in charge said that there is not much difference between the cost of drone delivery and that of traditional manual delivery, and the mainland practice is that the transportation cost is the same for both, depending on the distance and the type of food and beverage to be delivered.
SF Express and Lalamove plan to deliver medicines and courier services to the Islands District by drone. SF is planning to test the technology between Cheung Chau, Cyberport and Lamma Island, and the delivery time is expected to be at least twice as fast, with internal tests to be conducted this month, and the technology to be launched in the market after maturity, with the transportation cost expected to be more expensive than the traditional one, while Lalamove is also experimenting with the drone delivery of medicines to Islands District, hoping to reduce the logistics cost of the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and to use Hong Kong's experience as a role model for the technology to be expanded to the Southeast Asian business.
China Mobile cooperated with Princess Margaret Hospital in delivering medicines and laboratory samples by drone in the hospital. The person in charge explained that the pilot drone has its own thermostat to ensure that the drugs and samples are not contaminated.
CLP currently uses manually operated aerial cameras to inspect overhead power lines. A CLP official said that the total length of CLP cables reached 17,000 kilometers and in the past, CLP could only inspect 5 kilometers of cables per day on foot. This time, CLP has applied for a sandbox to use a drone with a relaxed over-the-horizon range, which is expected to increase its efficiency by four times, and it can also carry out inspections in inclement weather.
The Fire Services Department (FSD) has also obtained approval for two projects, including the use of a drone with a loading capacity of 30 kilograms for the transportation of rescue supplies, and the use of a drone for inspecting and extinguishing hill fires.
The Low Altitude Economy Research Center of the University of Science and Technology has also been approved to try out the use of drones for emergency rescue, and will cooperate with the Kowloon East Police District in the transportation of AEDs by drones, etc.
Related News:
HK to open tender for Kai Tak Cruise Terminal operator contract in second half of 2025: Rosanna Law
Govt to tighten 'well-off tenants policy' to regulate public housing resources
Comment