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TECHNOLOGY Tuesday 23 May 2017

Chinese online retailer developing one-ton delivery drones

JOE McDONALD of JD’s logistics business
AP Business Writer group, Wang Zhenhui, said
BEIJING (AP) — China’s in a statement.
biggest online retailer, JD.com operates its own
JD.com Inc., announced nationwide network of
plans Monday to devel- thousands of delivery sta-
op drone aircraft capable tions manned by 65,000
of carrying a ton or more employees. The company
for long-distance deliveries. says it has 235 million regu-
The company said it will test lar customers.
the drones on a network it Drones are part of the in-
is developing to cover the dustry’s response to the
northern Chinese province challenge of expanding to
of Shaanxi. It said they will rural areas where distances
carry consumer goods to and delivery costs rise.
remote areas and farm Drone delivery in China
produce to cities. and other countries faces
JD.com, headquartered hurdles including airspace
in Beijing, says it made its restrictions and the need
first deliveries to custom- to avoid collisions with In this image taken from a Nov. 9, 2016 video footage by AP Video, a drone takes off to deliver
ers using smaller drones in birds and other obsta- JD.com parcel from Tiantong’an village near Suqian city in eastern China’s Jiangsu province.
November. Other e-com- cles. In the United States, Associated Press
merce brands includ- regulators allow commer- ing on devices able to car- would cover a 300-kilo- ture drones.
ing Amazon.com Inc. cial drone flights only on an ry more. meter (200-mile) radius JD.com earlier reported
also are experimenting experimental basis. China is home to the and have drone air bases first-quarter revenue rose
with drones for delivery. A 1 ton payload is world’s biggest manufac- throughout the province. 41.2 percent over a year
“We envision a network heavier than what turer of civilian drones, DJI, The company said it will ago to 76.2 billion yuan
that will be able to ef- most drones available in the southern city of Shen- set up a research-and-de- ($11.1 billion). It reported
ficiently transport goods now can carry, though zhen. velopment campus with profit of 843.1 million yuan
between cities, and even some can carry hundreds JD.com said its the Xi’an National Civil ($122.4 million) compared
between provinces, in the of kilograms and ma- planned drone deliv- Aerospace Industrial Base with a loss of 864.9 million
future,” the chief executive jor drone makers are work- ery network in Shaanxi to develop and manufac- yuan a year earlier.q
Mark Zuckerberg says he’s not running for public office

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Massachusetts real estate oyster festival.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuck- broker Gisele Borghani said Zuckerberg and Chan then
erberg says his quest this she and her family were traveled to Providence
year to visit every state walking on a crowded side- on Monday to visit the Del
he hadn’t before is about walk to Newport’s Easton’s Sesto Middle School. The
building relationships, not Beach when they nearly Providence Public School
politics. bumped into the couple. District said it was expect-
The 33-year-old billion- “I said, ‘Hi,’ and he smiled ing representatives from
aire wrote in a Facebook back and she smiled the couple’s Chan Zuck-
post that some users have back,” Borghani said. “They erberg Initiative, and
asked if the trip means were just minding their own “was delighted when the
he’s running for public of- business like two normal foundation’s namesakes
fice. Zuckerberg says he’s people.” She said Chan showed up in person.”
not running for anything. was wearing a baseball The couple and their orga-
Instead, he says the visits cap from Maine, where nization’s education direc-
around the country are in In this April 18, 2017 file photo, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg the couple was spotted a tor, Jim Shelton, also met
order “to get a broader speaks at his company’s annual F8 developer conference in few days ago . The couple Monday with Democratic
perspective.” San Jose, Calif. was flanked by two body- Gov. Gina Raimondo to
He said Facebook is look- Associated Press guards, who were walking talk about personalized
ing to connect users be- He describes those as peo- els for building those con- about 10 feet back, she learning. The organization
yond people they already ple outside a user’s social nections, Zuckerberg said. said. has donated to a state-
know, and he wrote that it circle who he says “provide He wrote the post Sunday Borghani said the resort wide initiative that uses
may be important that the a new source of support from Newport, Rhode Is- town was packed with technology and targeted
platform connects users to and inspiration.” land, where he was spotted people enjoying the beau- instruction to tailor learning
“people you should know.” Facebook is exploring mod- with his wife, Priscilla Chan. tiful weather and the city’s to each student.q