Page 29 - ITLN November - December 2024

autonomous logistics drone.” Earlier
this year in February 2024, BonV Aero
became the Season 6 Finale winner
of Meet the Drapers and secured $1.6
million in funding from Tim Draper.
Tim Draper is a prominent venture
capitalist and entrepreneur known for
founding Draper Associates and Draper
Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ), as well as for
his early investments in companies like
Tesla, Skype, and Hotmail.
Air Orca is engineered to tackle
diverse logistical challenges. The
drone is designed to serve as a first
responder in post-disaster scenarios,
Only less than ten delivering relief supplies to affected
percent of India’s retail areas and providing critical support
is organised despite a during emergencies. Its high-altitude
lot of e-commerce, quick capabilities make it suitable for military
commerce and modern logistics operations in challenging
terrains, including the Himalayan region,
trade. That makes the at elevations of nearly 20,000 feet. BonV
last mile and intracity Aero is the first Indian company to set
movements extremely a world record by lifting a 30 kg payload
important in India’s at Umling La, Ladakh, the highest
distribution network. motorable road pass at 19,024 feet.
Satyabrata Satapathy, Chief Executive
Aryaman Tandon Officer of BonV Aero, pointed out that
Praxis Global Alliance even though the e-commerce sector
would need drones in its operations, it
“Advanced route optimization tools will be remote places and hilly areas
consider real-time data on traffic where road infrastructure is not available
congestion, weather, and events, will be the early adopters.
allowing drivers to adapt their routes “The e-commerce sector needs an
dynamically,” he said. aerial mobility solution. With the aerial
He also pointed out that innovations mode, food, groceries and medicines
are changing the landscape in remote or can be delivered between fulfilment
challenging terrains. centres, warehouses and hospitals.
“Companies like Blue Dart are testing However, the early adopters of drones
drone delivery for lightweight packages. will be in difficult terrain because their
India Post’s use of local agents in rural needs are the greatest. Wherever roads
areas is another approach that helps are absent or difficult to construct,
provide last-mile access even in the drones become useful means of
most remote regions.” transportation of goods because it
is operationally cheap to operate
Drones in challenging last mile terrains compared to a helicopter or any other
Indeed several innovations are mode of aerial mobility,” he said.
happening in the last mile. In fact, Meanwhile, he also pointed out the
technology is playing a transformative importance of drones in military logistics
role not only in cities but also in to aid and improve India's defence
overcoming logistical barriers in rural preparedness on the northern borders
and remote terrains. For instance, in Nov during the winter.
2024, Odisha-based deep tech start-up “So the Air Orca as a platform
BonV Aero launched Air Orca, which is contributing to improving India's
the company calls “India’s first fully defence posture in an increasingly
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www.itln.in November - December 2024