– 40kg-Class Drone-Robot System Delivers Packages to Apt. Residents
– Real Residential Environments Demonstrations are Laying Foundation for Everyday Commercial Delivery Services
The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA, Administrator Taeseog Oh), together with the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI, President Park Se-woong), announced that it has developed a drone-robot collaborative delivery system capable of handling heavy cargo of up to 40kg and is conducting field validation through actual operations in a densely populated residential area within an apartment complex in Jinju Innovation City from Monday, August 24 to Saturday, August 29.
KASA has been conducting validation in real operating environments across various regions of Korea to proactively address potential risks and enhance the reliability of drone-robot integrated delivery technology to a level suitable for commercialization. In 2025, the feasibility of integrated operations among drones, robots, and stations was verified in Naepo New Town, Chungcheongnam-do. In 2026, delivery capabilities were further validated in Jeju (March-April) and Sacheon (August) under environments involving island regions and public and logistics facilities.
[Details of Field Demonstrations]
· Naepo New Town, Chungnam Province (December 2025, 40 times): Book deliveries from Chungnam Library (drone) → Hongbuk-eup Office Naepo Branch parking lot (station, robot) → Naepo Middle School.
·Jeju (March-April 2026, 89 times): Daily necessities deliveries from Geumneung Port Drone Delivery Center (drone) → Biyangdo Docking Station (station, robot) → 56 delivery points on Biyangdo Island.
·Sacheon (August 2026, 60 times): Parcel deliveries from a private logistics center (drone) → Sacheon City Hall parking lot (station, robot) → three delivery points at Sacheon City Hall, including parcel storage facilities and civil service offices.
·Jinju (August 2026, 50 times): Deliveries of Packages from riverside area near Eunhasu Dongsan Toy Bank in Jinju (drone) → open space near Centum River Park (station, robot) → Centum River Park Apartments
In the Jinju demonstration, drone-robot delivery systems were tested in apartment complexes in urban residential areas, with the goal of securing technological reliability in densely populated living environments. The autonomous driving capabilities of robots through narrow pathways inaccessible to drones, pedestrian crossings, and apartment complexes were indeed verified — with drones transporting toys and books (ordered by customers and weighing up to 40kg in total) from the Toy Bank and Children’s Library to a designated delivery hub, where they were then transferred to autonomous robots and delivered directly to apartment doorsteps. To improve the stability and reliability of the system, these operations are conducted multiple times.
KASA is placing particular emphasis on safety measures during the Jinju demonstration, as it is being conducted in a densely populated area. Response procedures have been established for various emergency situations, including drone platform and propulsion system failures, communication disruptions, and severe weather conditions, while safety management systems around drone and robot routes have been strengthened.
KASA Administrator Taeseog Oh stated, “To enable drone and robot collaborative delivery services to be utilized in people’s daily lives, it is important to secure social acceptance through demonstrations in actual residential environments.” He added, “We will make the utmost efforts to enhance technological maturity by fully utilizing this demonstration and establish the foundation for service commercialization.”