Grasshopper – the revolutionary end-to-end solution for both repetitive and ad-hoc logistics needs

Both manufacturing and generic warehouse-to-customer goods distribution is more and more relying on just-in-time practices: local inventories are minimized, resulting in savings from reduced storage space requirements, unnecessary tie-down of capital, and even the avoidance of component value depreciation, for example in a manufacturing context, in case of mass-produced electronic items with rapidly reducing price curve. Time is money in multiple ways.

Even if your company logistics is handled by a specialized third party logistics giant, the existing model of end-to-end deliveries will in most cases occur in disjoint phases: from your company to a logistics hub by a van, from hub to hub on an airplane or a lorry, and finally by a van again to the destination. Similarly, in a warehouse-to-customer distribution context, for example with pharmaceutical products, ensuring that the dispensaries can respond to unexpectedly increasing demand requires the distributor to have an agile logistics network that can be called on duty with minimum delay. In a fragmented delivery chain, all these required intermediate steps take extra time and add potentially costly failure points: for example, an accidentally missed continuation for a temperature-sensitive material can cause the high-value material to spoil before it reaches the destination.

Grasshopper Air Mobility’s fully autonomous VTOL (Vertical Take-off and Landing) fly+drive drone solution, we flipped the “flying-car” on its head, we merged anywhere aerial logistics and last-mile. We are developing an unmanned aerial system with precision drive and swappable electrified cargo containers. To achieve 2028 first flight targets, we limited useful battery range to 200 km, speeding pick-up to drop-off within 1 hour. We believe flying cargo will happen far earlier than no-pilot human transport. Scaling up from current regulatory approved delivery drone logistics, we want to leap past current 300-400 kg payload electric aviation designs (like Joby, Archer, Beta, etc.) with economic benefits to have ground pilots monitor fleets and accelerate towards far lower shipment costs. We are partnered with Schubeler Electric to select safely redundant distributed electric propulsion systems. A multi-pack battery system within the vehicle and the swappable electrified cargo container; we ensure pre-loaded and pre-charged containers minimize down-time and maximize vehicle utility. A robust pallet (just-in-time) logistics system with up to 10x daily trips compared to today's ground vehicles.

And unlike with traditional logistics chains, this level of predictability and speed is not happening only between high-volume transit areas: a delivery setup can be arranged equally between metropolitan regions as well as locations literally in the middle of nowhere. By connecting rural regions and developing cities with transport hubs up to 200 km away, this solution accelerates economic development and doesn’t have to wait for costly infrastructure to be built.

With product digital twin design/simulation and market validation feedback cycles complete, our team moves ahead with confidence to build and test our proof of concept. This test platform will be incrementally upgraded with shared autonomy features, until it can operate 24/7 continuous deliveries.