Aramex, a multinational logistics, courier, and package delivery company, has successfully completed a drone- and droid-based delivery test in Dubai, UAE, in partnership with BARQ EV, a UAE-based commercial drone delivery service provider, and Kiwibot, a Colombia-based delivery droid developer.

The tests were conducted at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) with the support of various government authorities including Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSO), Dubai Future Foundation, and Dubai Smart City. The tests were part of Aramex’s “Future Delivery Program,” which looks to enhance last-mile delivery to facilitate faster, sustainable, and cost-effective deliveries.

Aramex also revealed its future plans to implement and scale up drone- and droid-based deliveries in the UAE and beyond, including the Middle East and Africa.

Analyst QuickTake: This is not the first time startups in the last-mile delivery automation space tried their offerings in Dubai. In fact, Kiwibot previously partnered with the online fulfillment app, Careem, for droid-based deliveries in Dubai. Other droids manufacturers, including incumbent Yandex and startups Ottonomy IO and Delivers AI, as well as drone-based delivery service providers such as Wingcopter and Skycart , have also previously tried their solutions in UAE.