UPS Flight Forward (UPSFF) has made its first commercial residential drone deliveries using a Matternet M2 drone in cooperation with CVS Pharmacies, the company announced this week. The deliveries were made from a CVS pharmacy in Cary, North Carolina, on Friday and delivered to customers’ homes. 

The drones flew autonomously but were monitored by a remote operator who could intervene if necessary. The drone hovered about 20 feet over the properties and slowly lowered the packages by a cable and a winch to the ground. One of the packages was delivered to a CVS customer whose limited mobility makes it difficult to travel to a store to pick up a prescription. 

UPSFF was awarded a Part 135 certificate by the FAA in September. “We now have an opportunity to offer different drone delivery solutions, tailored to meet customer needs for speed and convenience,” said Scott Price, UPS chief strategy and transformation officer. “Delivering prescriptions by drone directly to homes could greatly improve the patient experience for CVS customers. We’re delighted to build new services that will shatter preconceived notions of how, when, and where goods can be delivered.”