This article was taken from the October 2013 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online.
Andreas Raptopoulos wants to build a mesh network of autonomous
drones to carry supplies to places difficult to reach by road. "Lack of transportation locks people out of the economy," says Raptopoulos, CEO of Matternet. "We're thinking about how we can leapfrog that whole transportation-building stage." The Matternet network will have base stations at 10 kilometre intervals to allow drones to recharge. That way, drones can cover long distances and follow countless combinations of routes. Raptopoulos estimates each 10 kilometre hop will cost six pence. A Matternet array will be cheaper to build than all-weather roads -- but the prototypes are currently restricted to two-kilogram, ten-litre payloads. "It takes a little creative thinking for people to realise this is not an industrial transportation system," says Raptopoulos, a 39-year-old Greek entrepreneur who led the team that came up with the idea for Matternet at Singularity University summer school in 2011. They are now funded by Singularity Labs and Andreessen Horowitz.
Following trials in the Dominican Republic and Haiti last year, Matternet -- now a five-member team in California -- is developing its first four-rotor drone, the Matternet 1. "Some very smart people think it's going to take $100 million (£65 million) to build Matternet's key technologies to the level of reliability required for all-weather, 24/7, real-world operation," says Raptopoulos. "Our plan is to bring part of that in through revenues -- selling products rather than services. People are embracing this idea."