Zipline, an American company that specializes in using autonomously flying drones to deliver medical supplies, has taken off in Japan.
They’re flying, starting Thursday, across the tiny Goto Islands, off the western coast of Kyushu, in southwestern Japan, delivering to pharmacies and hospitals.
Other parts of Japan may follow, including urban areas, although the biggest needs tend to be in isolated rural areas.
Zipline, founded six years ago, already is in service in the U.S., where it has partnered with Walmart Inc. to deliver other products at the retail chain as well as drugs. It is also delivering medical goods in Ghana and Rwanda.
Its takeoff in Japan is in partnership with Toyota Tsusho, a group company of Japan’s top automaker Toyota Motor Corp.
Although drones have been used in Japan for photography and aerial exhibitions, such as the Tokyo Olympics last year, they’re not in wide use, especially in urban areas because of regulations. It remains to be seen if Zipline’s health care service will help win over skeptics.
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