Ford wants to connect trucks, vans, pedestrians and everything else on the road to delivery drones in the air. [Credit: Jim Allen/FreightWaves]
Key Takeaways:
Ford's latest patent filing details a system for "drone highways" over public roadways, envisioning aerial corridors for drone delivery services.
The patent addresses regulatory concerns by proposing drones equipped with vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication to broadcast their position and trajectory, aiming to prevent collisions.
This system would involve drones flying predetermined routes and providing flight path data via a publicly available and continuously updating database.
This patent is part of Ford's ongoing drone delivery initiatives, though a competitor, Workhorse Group, is further along with prototype production and pilots for similar drone-van hybrid systems.
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on FreightWaves.com.
Just a few months after publishing an ambitious drone delivery patent that would combine delivery vans with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Ford Motor Co. may have upped its own ante.
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Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.
