HALIFAX, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On the 31st October 2017, Weird Ape delivered the first watch by drone in West Yorkshire, UK.
As a truly innovative business, Weird Ape trialled a drone delivery of two skeleton watches to a customer to test the technology and to stay ahead of the competition.
Weird Ape believes that drone deliveries will be feasible in the future for many rural locations. Market research carried out by Weird Ape suggests that customers will be prepared to pay a premium to have their watch delivered within an hour for an important event.
The drone can travel at up to 20mph in a straight line, which means that it can reach remote locations much quicker and cheaper than existing conventional methods.
The customer was notified by text that they had a drone delivery approaching, so that they could lay out a pre-printed landing marker in a safe location. The watches were then delivered just 45 minutes after ordering.
A Civil Aviation Authority license and special drone insurance was required to carry out the test.
Using a unique delivery system, designed in house, up to two watches are dropped automatically when the drone touches down.
Founder, Stefan Kozikowski said: “Watches are small, light and high value, making them ideal candidates for drone deliveries. One of the most challenging parts was building the payload delivery system. At first, we were integrating a receiver and servos to open the hatch. This all needed additional power and added weight.
Seeing us struggle with the design our accountant, an avid fisherman, suggested we create a much simpler design based on a bait dropper. This clever design didn’t require any of the complicated communications equipment, saving cost and weight.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Weird Ape is a Yorkshire, UK based watch brand that was formed because our founder Stefan could not find an interesting looking watch for an affordable price. We specialise in skeleton watches that allow you to see the craftsmanship inside the watch.
We spent 12 months designing and collaborating with mechanical watch experts developing multiple prototypes and perfecting our designs with rigorous testing. Britain has a long history for designing great watches. We wanted to continue that legacy.
Resources:
YouTube Video: https://goo.gl/1PVKEm
Images: https://goo.gl/gdne37
