'Smart mailbox' maker begins trial in Durant
DURANT, Oklahoma (KTEN) — Dronedek, based in Indiana, is looking to stretch its wings in Oklahoma, and the company is starting in Durant.
"We have a smart parcel locker," said the company's chief strategy officer Neerav Shah. "A smart mailbox that basically keeps products heated and cooled, safe, secure."
Dronedek's stop was at the Lost Street Brewing Company, where they started practicing drone deliveries to the electronic mailbox.
"This drone is pretty cool," said Lost Street's Grace Rudolf. "They're going to grab one of our four-packs of Martinus beer, and they're going to go and put it in a mailbox."
For the brewery, it's one step toward bringing beer home to customers.
"You have to come into the brewery; we only sell our cans here," said Rudolf. "So if there's a way that we can work with them to get our beer out in the community more, then everyone's happier."
For Dronedek, it's about more than moving a product from place-to-place.
"We've delivered burritos, we delivered beer... a lot of fun things," said Shah. "But we're looking in the future to deliver more life-saving medications and samples for hospital chains."
Dronedek hopes this process changes the way any delivery happens.
"Our box is not only for aerial drone delivery, but also robotic ground delivery, traditional delivery," said Shah. "So you'd have your Uber Eats delivery, your pizza to the box, as well as your Amazon packages."
Dronedek said it could take up to a year or more before they're ready to start delivering the mailboxes to homes, but once they can, the costs will be a monthly subscription of around $20 for residents and $100 for businesses.