UAE residents will soon be able to have products delivered to them by entirely autonomous drones - without humans controlling them at all.

At DriftX, an international exhibition for smart and autonomous technologies held as part of Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week, e-commerce company Noon showcased the technology - a first of its kind in the UAE.

Noon Minutes, the quick e-commerce branch of the platform, ran a booth at the exhibition where visitors could place an order from a touchscreen. They would then receive their products in under 15 minutes via an autonomous drone. The products available ranged from food to toys and personal care products.

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More than 50 such deliveries were made during the two-day event.

'New standard for delivery'

The autonomy system was provided by the Technology Innovation Institute (TII). SteerAI provided the fleet management software coordinating each flight, and LODD provided and monitored the drone hardware.

Ali Kafil-Hussain, noon's Chief Business Officer, said,“We're working hard to completely rethink delivery, making it faster and better for the planet. With the support of TII, SteerAI, and LODD, we're bringing this vision to life. Our aim is: to set a new standard for delivery, ensuring everyone gets their order quickly and reliably, whether they live in the city centre or in a remote area.”

Drones will be able to reach remote areas, such as islands, farms, and new residential zones, much quicker and easier than human delivery riders - an advantage that the platform plans to explore.

Noon and its partners are now working to bring this autonomous delivery to users. The app will have a drone delivery option that customers can choose. Real-time tracking will be available as the parcels travel from Noon's warehouses to the customers' locations within 15 minutes.

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