Natilus is a drone that resembles a Boeing 777 in size and is capable of carrying more than 90 tons of cargo over long distances
You know the deliveries made by Amazon using a drone? Forget about them. Soon, thanks to a revolutionary idea of an American startup, robotic aircrafts will be able to be used to transport very heavy loads and tens of thousands of kilometers away.
This is an invention that has another advantage as well: it allows you to significantly lower the costs of traditional transportation. And again. The system is also much faster. What is it all about? An ultra-technological flying device that looks and feels like a Boeing 777. The large unmanned “device” will reportedly be able to carry a weight of 200,000 pounds (nearly 91 tons) for many miles. The first prototypes of Natilus, this is the name given by the Californian startup to the drone, should arrive starting from next summer, when the company will test the aircraft with a flight between Los Angeles and Hawaii.
Faster than a ship and cheaper than a plane
We said that Natilus stands out especially for its ability to reach long distances at lower costs than a traditional cargo plane and in a faster time than a ship. According to numbers provided by the startup, the robotic jet will be able to cover the Las Vegas-Shanghai route with a 200,000-pound load in 30 hours – a cargo ship takes 504 hours on average – and at a cost of $130.
It will fly over the seas
To begin testing, the startup will first need to obtain all permits from the FAA, the agency that regulates aviation in the United States. The drone will mainly fly over choosing sea routes and dock for loading and unloading operations at ports. Having obtained the authorizations, the startup aims to produce a sizeable fleet by 2020 and sell the drone to major transportation giants. Will the company really succeed in revolutionizing this industry that is already going through a period of innovation? We’ll see, in the meantime Natilus’ idea represents a starting point that could soon be followed by other companies.