Imagine a future where drones take the place of delivery trucks and couriers—sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie doesn’t it? Well the reality is, something like this may not be so far off after all.

Over the next four weeks, the indigenous Canadian residents of Moose Cree First Nation will be the first recipients of supplies and mail that will be delivered via commercial drones.

The community, which is about 440 miles north of Toronto is in a very remote location that is hard to access because there are no roads. In addition, other methods of entering the area are either hazardous or extremely costly. The prices of supplies are already very high because of its remoteness which makes the region an excellent testing ground for a delivery company called Drone Delivery Canada (DDC).

For the last three years, DDC has been working with researchers at the University of Toronto and Waterloo to develop the drone technology which will allow a drone to fly out of sight for extended periods of time. These fully autonomous flights will be tested over the next few weeks in demonstrations of their capabilities for Transport Canada, the Canadian equivalent of the American FAA.

The drones will initially be equipped to carry loads of 10 pounds across 50 miles and then DDC will increase both the load capacity and range gradually. The largest of the drones which are under consideration for use will be capable of carrying up to 3,300 pounds and be able to travel for more than 15 hours.

This move on the part of DDC is the first of its kind and the first time unmanned drones have been approved for commercial delivery use. There are currently regulations in the US and many other countries which require that a drone only fly within the range of the operators sight.

The test flights for using unmanned drones for long range delivery services like those planned by DDC has piqued the interest of major US retail giants like Amazon and Staples who have expressed an interest in this technology for some time. Unfortunately however, flying autonomous drones, especially over populated areas, is an issue of concern for the FAA. In America, there have been no tests like those taking place in Canada and flying a drone out of the range of sight is still regulated by strict laws.

It certainly looks like Canada may be taking a major lead in the use of drone technology which will ultimately save companies money, time, and manpower. The upcoming demonstrations of these drones by DDC may just be the precursor to worldwide approval of drone delivery services.

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