In the orchards of Quchi Township, Wushan County, southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, the integration of high-tech solutions for plum logistics is underway. Villagers engage in plum harvest activities where robot dogs are utilized for efficient in-field transfer of produce. Following the harvest, a black robot dog transports a basket of fresh plums directly to a postal dispatch stop.

Within eight minutes, plums make their way to packaging before being loaded onto a drone. The drone, loaded with over 50 kilograms of plums, takes off and reaches a designated collection point at Wushan airport in seven minutes. There awaits a scheduled “plum flight” for further distribution.

The comprehensive technological approach, integrating robot dogs, drones, and aircraft, has optimized the transport process for Wushan plums from the mountainous regions. This system marks a shift from past reliance on manual and truck-based logistics.

Villager Peng Bin, with over 100 mu of plum plantation, states, “Last year, we had drones. This year, we have robot dogs and drones. Plum transport is faster than ever, and we have saved a lot on labor costs.” The postal service, under the guidance of Li Yongjun, has developed a model leveraging robot dogs for field transport, drone transfer, and plum flights.

Robot dogs, adaptable to challenging terrains, enhance transport efficiency more than threefold. Drones mitigate geographic limitations, further reducing transport times. Li notes, “Consumers can enjoy high-quality Wushan plums shortly after they are picked, while farmers are also earning more.”

Efficient logistics enable fresh Wushan plums to reach over 1,000 cities in China within 24 hours. As per Chen Huiyi from the Wushan County transportation bureau, the national distribution is expected to achieve 140,000 tonnes with an output value exceeding 2.2 billion yuan (307.6 million US$).

Source: Xinhua