It may soon become easier and faster to transport goods to remote locations in Bhutan. This can be made possible through the use of drones. To study the feasibility of this technology, a demonstration flight today successfully delivered a bag of rice from Sangaygang to Phajoding in Thimphu. This is a part of a bigger initiative to use drones to deliver food and medicine, among others, to remote locations of the country.
This is the drone used for the demonstration. Called Sabal 20, it is an unmanned drone, capable of carrying goods up to 20 kilogrammes. Today, it is loaded with this bag of rice. Operated by a remote controller, it flies to Phajoding monastery.
The 10-minute flight is captured by another drone. Upon reaching Phajoding, the delivery was received with a traditional prayer ceremony by the monastery’s lam. This symbolic gesture is described as a convergence of innovation and spirituality.
Today’s demonstration is part of a broader pilot initiative titled “Pilot Project for Development of Drone Logistics Business Environment in Bhutan,” led by DHI through its innovation wing, InnoTech Department. The project is undertaken in collaboration with EndureAir, an unmanned aviation technology company incubated at Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.
Mohit Nagpal, the founder of EndureAir said, “The thing that we did today and delivered a rice bag to a monastery, which takes 3 hours, we did it in 10 minutes and came back as well.”
Chimi Dema, an associate analyst, at DHI’s InnoTech Department said, “After conducting the test flight at around the end of May and area inspections being done, the team left back. Then we planned for the demonstration. During that phase, we identified two bases for the demo flight. So, through rigorous planning, we were able to do the demo flight from Sangaygang to Phajoding today.”
The project aligns with the government’s efforts to overcome geographical and infrastructural challenges in transportation using advanced technology.
Chimi Dema added, “We are trying to explore other areas to use logistic drones in delivering medicines, for carrying construction materials and conducting power line inspections. These are our tentative plans.”
EndureAir’s founder, Mohit Nagpal said, “This drone can carry up to 20 kilogrammes of payload. We have other drones as well that can carry up to 70 kgs. It can also act like a firefighting drone where a nozzle can be attached to it and it can tether in the air and spray through the fire. On top of that, emergency medical supplies and summer and winter stocks for soldiers can also be delivered.”
With the successful completion of the demonstration, officials now aim to develop a system to operate delivery drones in Bhutan. This is expected to improve critical service delivery and position Bhutan as a hub for emerging technology adoption.
Kelzang Chhophyel
Edited by Kipchu
