This Startup Is Building a Smart Mailbox for Your Drone Deliveries

Amazon made headlines in 2013 when it unveiled a plan to deliver packages by drone during a segment on 60 Minutes. Amazon said at the time that we could expect drones to bring our Prime orders within "four or five years," a bold prediction from CEO Jeff Bezos that's proved to be a little too bold.

But that initial 60 Minutes segment kickstarted a drone delivery movement that appears to be progressing, even if at a snail's pace. Earlier this month Google's parent company Alphabet secured approval for drone delivery in Australia. Alphabet's drone service, called Wing, plans to deliver customers items like fresh food, coffee, ice cream and medicine, and around 100 homes in the city of Canberra will be eligible for the service.

Uber says it plans to launch a drone delivery service for Uber Eats beginning in 2021. And startup Flytrex launched a drone delivery service in Iceland in 2017, bringing customers food and other items via online retailer AHA.

However, as companies prepare to bring you items from the sky, the issue of where drones will land, and how items will be received, seems less clear. But a Chicago startup believes it has an answer.

Valqari, co-founded in 2017 by Ryan Walsh and Alex Falesch, has developed a smart drone delivery mailbox that aims to securely receive packages, groceries, pharmaceuticals, meals or anything else delivered by a drone. The startup says its goal is to work with any drone manufacturer, allowing it to accept deliveries regardless of the company fulfilling the order.

Ultimately, Valqari believes it's solving the "last-inch logistic problem" by creating a device that can open and close to receive a drone package.

"We saw a gap in the market," Walsh said. "What [Amazon showcased in 2013] didn’t really show any solution for the landing area, which would be required for market adoption."

Amazon's 60 Minutes segment helped kickstart Walsh---a former Army ranger who served two tours in Afghanistan and another in Iraq---and his team into action. Valqari has developed a working prototype of its mailbox, which works with several different drone types. The company has been issued utility patents in 13 countries including the U.S., U.K., Germany and China.

Walsh said once the product hits the market, an incoming drone will communicate with the mailbox, authenticating that the correct drone is delivering the correct package to the correct mailbox. The drone would then land on the box, drop the item inside a mechanical door, and a notification would be sent to the sender and recipient once the delivery is complete.

Walsh said the startup is developing a standalone mailbox that could replace a traditional mailbox (meaning it could also accept regular mail deliveries), and also a window-mounted version designed for apartments and condos in urban environments. That version would closely resemble an A/C unit, Walsh said.

One of the biggest hurdles Valqari faces is if Amazon, Alphabet or another drone deliverer manufactures its own mailbox. On Amazon's Prime Air website, the company says it's "testing many different vehicle designs and delivery mechanisms."

"I'm sure they’re going to have some proprietary solutions of their own," Walsh said. "But I think this ecosystem is going to be greater than just Amazon. They seem to be just one of many players making advancements (in the space)." 

Walsh said Valqari has taken on some angel and venture funding, but declined to disclose details. The startup is planning some tests with drone delivery companies later this year, which Walsh also declined to name.

The future of drone deliveries is still largely uncertain. But if some day they do become commonplace, drones are going to need instructions on how to navigate different types of neighborhoods and housing types. A universal drone mailbox could be the answer.