How Meituan’s Fourth‑Gen Drone Redefined Urban Delivery at GITEX 2023

From October 16‑20, 2023, Meituan’s drone division displayed its latest fourth‑generation autonomous drone and supporting low‑altitude logistics infrastructure at GITEX GLOBAL 2023 in Dubai, the world’s largest technology and entrepreneurship exhibition.

The event, themed “The Year to Imagine AI in Everything,” attracted 180,000 visitors and 6,000 innovative tech companies, creating a vibrant backdrop for Meituan’s live overseas flight demonstration.

Meituan presented a full city‑wide low‑altitude logistics solution, including the new drone, ground handling devices, and a flight‑route management backend. The hardware highlights featured a foldable three‑blade silent propeller, modular design, smart battery, and parachute system. On the software side, Meituan demonstrated the adaptive drone operation management system (TBOS), a remote control cockpit, and a visual positioning system (VPS) to improve safety and efficiency.

During the exhibition, a dedicated flight zone in Hall 25 allowed visitors to experience a complete ordering‑to‑delivery process: a customer placed an order, the drone took off from the opposite side of the venue, crossed the Dubai World Trade Center exhibition area, and delivered the meal into an intelligent drop‑box within 3–5 minutes.

Meituan’s team highlighted the extensive pre‑event work required for the overseas flight. Dubai’s civil aviation authorities impose strict standards, especially in a densely populated city‑center venue. Meituan coordinated with the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, municipal officials, and DWTC operators, conducting multiple verification flights at the SANAD test site and at DWTC to obtain the necessary flight‑display qualification after several months of effort.

The hardware and software were adapted for Dubai’s climate and crowd conditions, including wide‑temperature modifications and network adjustments. An English‑language ordering interface was also developed for the demonstration.

Technical specifications of the fourth‑generation drone, unveiled earlier at the World AI Conference, include a six‑rotor electric design, 2.5 kg maximum payload, 5 km round‑trip delivery radius, top speed of 83 km/h, and operation capability in medium rain, snow, strong wind, low light, and temperatures ranging from –20 °C to 60 °C. The drone received China’s CAAC “Specific‑type UAV trial operation approval” and a General Aviation Enterprise Operating License, authorizing beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight commercial operations in densely populated areas.

Overall, Meituan’s successful demonstration underscored the feasibility of drone‑based urban delivery, attracted enthusiastic audience feedback, and positioned the company as a key player in the emerging low‑altitude logistics market.