TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Penghu County Government said Monday it was testing the use of drones to deliver supplies to remote communities.
The county and National Penghu University of Science and Technology launched test flights from Magong City to Jibei Islet. The program is intended to provide residents with a reliable supply of daily necessities in the future.
The pilot flight took off from the university campus, with Earthbook CEO Hsu Wei-cheng (徐偉城) demonstrating the drone’s setup. NPU President Lee Wen-hsi (李文熙) and local officials attended the event.
Lee said the drone was designed to withstand strong winds and followed a route mapped using weather forecasting data. He said additional wind-resistance tests were scheduled for February.
Hsu said the drone can travel up to 120 kilometers and is controlled from an operations center on campus. He said the farthest of Penghu’s 19 inhabited islands is 40 km away.
The drone has a carrying capacity of 3.5 kilograms and can reach Jibei in 15 minutes while traveling at 100 kph, Hsu said.
The university said the test flight was successful. It plans future flights to Hua, Tongpan, and Hujing islets.
Deputy Magistrate Lin Chieh-hsing (林皆興) said only 19 of the county’s islands have permanent residents and transportation to many can be disrupted by poor weather. He said drones and unmanned vessels were necessary to provide access to medical care and daily necessities.
