Zipline and Toyota Tsusho Partner Medical Drone Delivery

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby

Today, Toyota Group member Toyota Tsusho Corporation and instant logistics leader Zipline initiated the launch of an automated, on-demand delivery service for the distribution of medical supplies across Japan’s Gotō Islands, with Toyota Tsusho utilizing Zipline’s instant logistics system for routine, commercial long-distance drone deliveries.

This is both Zipline’s first operation in Japan and its first strategic operational partnership, in which Sora-iina, a Toyota Tsusho subsidiary specifically created for the partnership, will handle its distribution center and flight services from Fukue Port.

Sora-iina’s distribution center will be the first in Asia to use Zipline’s autonomous instant logistics technology, delivering medical supplies to pharmacies and hospitals across the Gotō Islands. Initial deliveries will feature beyond visual line of site…