Rakuten Pioneers Drone Delivery at Varying Altitudes on Mountain

The one-month trial was conducted at Mt. Shirouma in Nagano Prefecture's Hakuba over a one-way distance of approximately 5km, starting from the foot of the mountain* located at an altitude of 1250m, to the mountaintop huts of Hakuba Sanso at 2832m, and Hakubadake Chojoshukusha at 2730m. The drone managed to deliver fruits, which are easily damaged by vibrations when delivered by conventional methods, as well as other supplies, handling weight of up to 5kg without any damage.
The transportation of goods between mountain huts is currently conducted by staff on foot or via helicopter, which can pose challenges in terms of safety as well as cost. Following this successful demonstration, it's hoped that drones can offer a solution for these concerns.
Going forward, Rakuten will continue to provide services and conduct trials that contribute to the adoption of logistics services to realize new delivery methods utilizing drones.