Ursula O'Sullivan-Dale

The primary distinction between traditional industrial robots and collaborative robots (or cobots) lies primarily in their design and interaction with human workers. Industrial robots are typically fixed within fenced or caged cells to keep them separate from people on the factory floor. These machines, built for speed and precision, operate in high-volume settings and handle repetitive tasks autonomously.

On the one-year anniversary of the launch of its Orkney drone trial, Royal Mail and Skyports Drone Services have announced that the service ‘has been extended until at least February 2026’. The trial has been described as “a daily inter-island mail distribution service between three islands on Orkney” using fully-electric drones. According to Skyports, this is the first UK commercial drone delivery project to be implemented on a regular basis.

Skyports Drone Services (Skyports) has announced an extension of its mail delivery project in the Orkney Islands with Royal Mail and the completion of drone delivery trials in partnership with the NHS. The initial drone distribution flights in the Orkney Islands were announced approximately one year ago, with the transportation of Royal Mail parcels and packages via drone now set to continue into 2026 .