Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant Unilever has carried out a test in New York to deliver its Ben & Jerry’s ice cream by drone.

It has linked up with drone specialist Terra Drone Europe, owned by Japan’s Terra Drone Corporation, on the venture. 

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Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream cups were delivered to a pre-decided destination by drone. The demo was conducted as part of Unilever’s ice-cream delivery service Ice Cream Now.

During the demonstration, a multi-copter drone was fitted with a delivery box designed to carry three Ben & Jerry’s mini cups (72 g each). A flight path was set beforehand to allow the drone to carry the ice-cream cups inside Unilever’s US facility.

Unilever said that with regulations around future drone flights expected to become more flexible, it is preparing for a drone logistics service that will deliver products to more customers faster.

Terra Drone and Unilever plan to continue to cooperate in the field of logistics services.

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Yuki Ueno, director of Terra Drone Europe, said: “We want to solve serious problems in the logistics field, such as carbon dioxide emissions, with drones. As deregulation progresses worldwide, drone delivery services will also increase.” 

Unilever launched Ice Cream Now, a delivery service for ice cream, in 2017. 

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