Norwegian drone logistics company Aviant has launched its home delivery service, Kyte, capable of delivering groceries, takeaway food, and non-prescription medicines to sparsely populated areas and holiday homes in Norway. Innovation Norway awarded the company EUR1 million of public funding to autonomously deliver vital prescription medicines directly from pharmacies to people in remote and suburban areas, where mobility can be challenging due to long distances and factors like bad roads or severe weather.
According to the company press release, Aviant’s drones are capable of flying as far as 120 km in a straight line, similar to an airplane, offering deliveries within a 30 km radius for return flights. Aviant is certified under EU regulations to operate autonomous flights within the union.
Customers can request delivery through the Kyte app, where they can choose from various groceries, ready meals, and light medicines. Once the order is placed, the drones are loaded with the ordered items at Kyte’s home base before they autonomously deliver the package and return to base. So far, Kyte has made deliveries covering a distance of more than 4,000 km, with an average delivery time of 24 minutes.
Founded by Lars Erik Fagernæs, Herman Øie Kolden, and Bernhard Paus Græsdal at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2020, Aviant has delivered 12 commercial contracts in Norway and Sweden, most notably transporting Covid-19 tests and blood samples between district hospitals and central hospitals during the pandemic. Since then, the company has operated over 2,500 autonomous flights, covering more than 35,000 km. Aviant is backed by the venture arm of the Norwegian Postal Service, Bring Ventures.
For more information visit:
www.aviant.no
