A Chinese tech company will use its cutting-edge drone helicopters to deliver bulky goods to residents' houses after receiving official permission to try out the service.
The pilot-less 'air taxis' can carry up to 150 kilos (331 pounds) of goods per flight and send them to remote and mountainous areas, according to their manufacturer.
The mega drones, which can fly up to 90 mph, will be tasked to transport products 'between ground and hilltop and between shore and islands' in the Chinese city of Taizhou during trial runs.
EHang, a Guangzhou-based tech firm, claims that their drones are the world's first electric passenger-carrying autonomous aerial vehicles.
The company has obtained approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to use its drones in for transporting heavy-lifting merchandise, according to a statement released on May 27.
Footage released by the company shows the unmanned aerial vehicle, EHang 216, flying across sea and mountains as engineers tested its various functions.
The 'flying-taxi' demonstrated its first test flight for the first time in Europe in April last year.
Austrian aerospace company FACC and its Chinese partner AVIC flew their drone above the pitch at Vienna's Generali Arena.
The unmanned vehicle was said to have the capacity to seat two passengers and can fly up to 150 km per hour (90 mph).
In January, the company conducted its first trial flight of EHang 216 in the
US after receiving flying approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The Nasdaq-listed company is also planning to launch sightseeing tours for tourists and hotel guests with the passenger-carrying drones.
In May, EHang signed an agreement with the LN Garden Hotel in Guangzhou to offer air tourism services to customers in the near future.
China has yet to grant approvals for drones to carry passengers. But the permission for EHang's air cargo services is considered by Chinese media as major progress.
The news comes as China is discovering new ways to deliver merchandise to the country's remote areas following the booming e-commerce industry.
Residents who live in rural villages across China are now able to sell and buy products online with the help of live-streaming and shopping apps.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
