priestmangoode debuts 'dragonfly' drone delivery concept, 'akin to leaves in the wind'

priestmangoode — a name worth noting in the brave realm of transportation design — launched its vision of the near-future urban ecosystem. in summary, there would be many drones assigned to many tasks, solving many problems. they would deliver packages via autonomous barges that act as mobile distribution points and charging stations. for this brave, new world, priestmangoode has developed a flying, autonomous concept of its own — the strong, yet stylish ‘dragonfly’.

all images courtesy of priestmangoode

according to priestmangoode cofounder, paul priestman, there are many issues with the current urban ecosystem: ’the rise in online retail is adding more vehicles to already congested roads, contributing to poor air quality. combine that with rapid population growth in our cities and we have a problem.’ these are just a few of the problems encountered when looking at the current, last-mile parcel delivery system.

priestmangoode has developed a flying, autonomous drone concept of its own

drone technology has the potential to keep up with the growing demand for delivery logistics — and have a positive environmental impact, at the same time; however, like any radical innovation, the answer to the problem comes with its own set of concerns. in this case, a synergistic symphony of buzzing, overhead helpers may be temporarily replaced by another vision of the future: clunky, drone-scattered skies with a chance of packages showering to the ground. unveiled at the GREAT festival of innovation in hong kong, ‘dragonfly’ was created specifically with this latter fear in mind.

drones would deliver packages via autonomous barges

‘we wanted to create something that is non-threatening and which would enhance cityscapes,’ said priestman. ‘this will be important in gaining public support for the future commercial use of drones.’ thus, it’s no surprise — in fact, it is by careful design — that priestmangoode’s dragonfly drones’ soft edges look less robotic than typical drones, and more like leaves floating in the wind.

priestmangoode’s dragonfly drones’ soft edges look less robotic than typical drones