Ever imagined ordering your favorite snack and having it delivered from the sky? 🌌 Well, in Shenzhen City, south China's Guangdong Province, this sci-fi scene is now a reality! 🚁✨
At a bustling park in Shenzhen, residents are scanning QR codes and watching in awe as drones swoop down to drop off their meals in as little as 30 minutes. Talk about fast food! 🍔⚡
Chinese online platform Meituan has launched around 30 drone-operated food delivery routes in Shenzhen. Over 300,000 orders have already taken flight, delivering deliciousness to office buildings, communities, scenic spots, municipal parks, and campuses. Looks like the future of food delivery just got wings! 🛍️🦅
But it's not just about grabbing a quick bite. At the recent annual Central Economic Work Conference, China pledged to turbocharge scientific and technological innovation to develop new quality productive forces and build a modernized industrial system. 🚀💡
Navigating the Low-Altitude Skies 🚁
Welcome to China's booming low-altitude economy! With a massive market and densely packed city clusters, the skies are buzzing with opportunities. A report from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reveals that the sector's value soared to 505.95 billion yuan (about $70.92 billion) in 2023 and is expected to skyrocket past 1 trillion yuan by 2026. 🌠💰
From large airships offering low-altitude tourism to drones delivering express packages and providing urban transportation, aerial photography, and emergency rescue, the sky's the limit! These high-flying technologies are becoming essential tools across various industries. 📦✈️
In February, a five-seat eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft made waves by completing its first intercity electric air-taxi demo flight from Shenzhen to the nearby city of Zhuhai. The trip took just 20 minutes, a huge upgrade from the over two-hour car journey. Time travel vibes, anyone? ⏱️🚁
August saw a commercial passenger helicopter take off from an airport in Kunshan, east China's Jiangsu Province, heading to Shanghai Pudong Airport at nearly 200 kilometers per hour. Talk about beating traffic! 🚦💨
Meanwhile, drones are stepping up as \"patrol teams\" and \"traffic police\" in many cities, helping with accident handling, order management, traffic direction, and traffic flow detection. Smart skies for smart cities! 🏙️🤖
By integrating BeiDou's communication technology, artificial intelligence, and intelligent image recognition, about 80% of drones can perform autonomous inspections. This means inspectors can check on sites without ever leaving their desks. How cool is that? 🛰️👨💻
According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), nearly 608,000 UAVs were newly registered in the first half of 2024, jumping 48% from the end of 2023. 📈✨
\"The data indicates that China's low-altitude economy is entering a stage of rapid development,\" said Song Zhiyong, head of the CAAC. Looks like the future is up in the air—literally! 🌍🚁
Reference(s):
China fosters new quality productive forces via tech innovation
cgtn.com
