UPS’s drone subsidiary takes flight

Building upon its partnership with Matternet for medical applications of drone delivery, UPS recently launched its drone delivery subsidiary, UPS Flight Forward. It may receive FAA certification for multiple drones and pilots as early as this year, potentially becoming the first company to win such approvals. Although Matternet recently faced a crisis in which one of its drones crashed a mere 150 ft from a group of kindergartners, UPS is taking their partnership to the next step, perhaps because their deal with WakeMed Health & Hospitals is proving to generate a stream of revenue.

While Matternet’s sizable patent portfolio in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles sector is not surprising given that it is a startup that focuses on drones, the presence of UPS’s own drone-related patent documents had hinted at the package delivery firm’s plan to expand its drone initiatives. We will be keeping an eye on UPS’s competition with Wing and Amazon, all of whom are on the FAA‘s Drone Advisory Committee.