The new drone
The new droneCourtesy / Israel Innovation Authority

As part of the Israel Innovation Authority’s ongoing National Drone Initiative in partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Transportation, Civil Aviation Authority of Israel, and Ayalon Highways Ltd., the Innovation Authority teamed up with Israeli company Strix Drones to further test the latest technology in drone use for delivery of commercial goods.

The new solution being applied to the drones enables for delivery of even fragile goods in urban areas with high-rise buildings. The drones are programmed to deliver to automated pick-up points and mailboxes. Upon the arrival of the delivery, the recipient is alerted by an app, and able to retrieve their goods when physically in proximity of the designated mailbox.

Established in 2019, Strix Drones is an Israeli company that designs and manufactures docking stations for all drone types. A portfolio company of Unicorn Technologies, Strix Drones, founded by its CEO, Niv Aharoni, is headquartered in Hod Hasharon, where most of its R&D is conducted, and has manufacturing facilities in both Israel and Dayton Ohaio, USA. Strix's Smart Box is agnostic to interface with any type of drone and is designed to be placed on building rooftops to enable distribution of commercial goods in urban settings.

The test performed in the southern Israeli city of Yerucham on Tuesday as part on the National Drone Initiative enabled the company to perform further tests in additional urban settings such as the one conducted on Wednesday in the northern Tel Aviv Area. This new technology setting provides a major step forward to the commercial implementation of the solution.

“The Israel Innovation Authority’s main goal is to promote Israel’s economy through developing and implementing breakthrough technologies,” explained Daniella Partem, head of the Israeli Center for the Forth Industrial Revolution (“C4IR”) at the Israel Innovation Authority. “This test shows the potential for commercial drone-based solutions, and is a further step in creating a viable economic model. The next phase is heavier weight, longer distances and even maybe one day drone taxies in urban areas.”

Niv Aharoni, Co-Founder & CEO at StriXDrones, explained that, “This system is a game changer in that it is the first time drones are able to deliver parcels to residences into deposit or post boxes, and crucially, the system is able to communicate with any type of drone, so if you order from different companies, you can still receive the goods in the same way.”