Through a pilot program with the City of Loveland, Ohio and the FAA, the HorseFly truck-launched Autonomous Drone Package Delivery System is currently making package deliveries to homes in the Cincinnati area, Workhorse Group Inc. has announced.

Consumers in select Cincinnati zip codes opted-in to accept packages from Horsefly via the Workhorse Ares Drone Package Delivery App, which is designed to “seamlessly integrate with existing online e-commerce platforms.”

“We feel this is a game-changing moment to innovate the way packages are delivered for many years to come,” says Steve Burns, Workhorse CEO.

“By not only reducing the expense of last mile delivery, but also providing the consumer with the ability to opt-in, visualize, and confirm their package delivery on their property, we have re-imagined home delivery.”

A “custom-built, high efficiency” delivery UAS that is fully integrated with the Workhorse line of electric delivery trucks, the HorseFly UAS Delivery System is designed to work with drivers to increase their efficiency, and ultimately lower the expense of last mile delivery. According to Workhorse, the truck launched drone system works as follows:

The truck delivery driver loads the package and launches the HorseFly drone. The HorseFly drone autonomously launches from the roof of the delivery truck, gains altitude and proceeds to the delivery location, monitoring by a centralized Horsefly control center. The consumer can also monitor the progress of their package delivery through their downloaded app. At the delivery location, which the consumer can choose on the app by touching the point on a map, the drone autonomously descends and the package is released. The consumer can opt-in to receive a photograph and confirmation of their delivery. The HorseFly drone returns to the delivery truck at a planned stop and autonomously redocks and recharges for its next delivery.

Workhorse says that the patented HorseFly system complies with current FAA safety regulations for UAS package delivery. At this point in time, each package is delivered within the delivery driver's line of sight.

Workhorse says that data collected from the pilot program will provide “essential insights” into consumer preferences, as well as real-world evidence to support expanded use cases with the FAA.

Workhorse notes that thus far, the delivery system has been successfully tested with UPS and an undisclosed large retailer.