GO2 Delivery, a Virginia Beach-based same-day medical courier service, has been moving packages since 1996.
And now the company said it plans to revolutionize the way pharmaceutical deliveries are made in Hampton Roads, the Mid-Atlantic states and beyond with its automated last-mile delivery system.
Using Indiana company Arrive AI’s mailbox-as-a-service platform, GO2 Delivery is working to redefine the industry’s future with drone deliveries to a smart mailbox.
A 700-pound temperature-controlled, secure Arrive Point “mailbox” was installed outside the GO2 Delivery headquarters on Dec. 17. The next day, CEO Eric Brown demonstrated how it works.
Operated by an app, the receptacle can open 24/7 and sends real-time notifications to maintain a full chain-of-custody.
Brown said the next step will be to test it out with a drone, hopefully in January. The smart mailbox has the capability to sense the drone via geolocation, open up at the top and allow the drone to drop the package inside.
There is also a separate front entrance for a courier to put a package inside or recover the package by scanning a QR code.
“It’ll be integrated with our courier software,” Brown said. “We can see when it was picked up, dropped off and handed off to another human.”
Focused on business-to-business deliveries, the company plans to use the technology for lab specimens and pharmaceuticals, including for nursing facilities, Brown said.
He also plans to bring pharmacy clients to the site to see the unit and show what it would look like at their facilities.
It could be a game-changer for the $1.97 trillion global delivery market of medications, Brown said.
Formerly known as Mobile One Courier, the company rebranded last year. Now operating with several electric cargo vans and a staff of more than 120, GO2 Delivery has come a long way from the days of walkie-talkies and pagers, he said.
Brown said he began working on the technology seven years ago to find a more innovative approach. Health care facilities and commercial pharmacies face issues with timely delivery, undeliverable packages and returns of sensitive medical items. The issues are magnified as health care home delivery increases, he said.
“This is building the foundation for future drone delivery,” Brown said. “It’s good to have a solution to move forward with.”
Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@pilotonline.com