On March 19, Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) launched its drone delivery service, with a drone zipping a package from a terminal in Guangming district to SYSU’s Shenzhen Campus in just five minutes. This marks the introduction of a new, fast “sky express” delivery model on campus.

This route eliminates the need for ground transportation, with drones flying directly to their destination, significantly improving last-mile delivery efficiency on campus. Each one-way trip covers 2.44 km at an altitude of 180 meters in just five minutes—four times faster than the traditional model—bringing the benefits of the low-altitude economy to students and faculty. Additionally, SYSU leverages drone operation data for extracurricular innovation, providing a hands-on platform for technological advancements and talent development in the low-altitude economy.

Professor Liu Qiang, Vice Dean of the School of Intelligent Engineering at SYSU, said that the project is a joint effort between the school and Shenzhen Fengyi Technology. The two parties will also collaborate on key research areas such as flight safety in complex environments, cost optimization for aerial delivery, and drone-vehicle coordination. These efforts aim to enhance operational experience in low-altitude scenarios across the Greater Bay Area and support the growth of the low-altitude economy.

The Shenzhen Campus has begun regular drone delivery operations. Once in place, the system will integrate drone-vehicle collaboration for on-campus deliveries and gradually expand to other campuses.

At the Low-Altitude Economy tech salon on the same day at the Shenzhen Campus, the university, Shenzhen industry and information bureau, Guangming district’s Development and Reform Bureau, and companies like Shenzhen Fengyi Technology, Shenzhen V&T Technology and Sunwoda Power Central Research Institute discussed future trends and challenges of low-altitude economy.

Several schools of SYSU are advancing research platforms to tackle key technological challenges in the low-altitude economy.

The School of Intelligent Systems Engineering leverages its strengths in control and transportation disciplines, focusing on complex aircraft control and 3D traffic planning, and developing a large-scale dynamic testing facility for flight stability in complex environments and exploring drone-ground collaboration for campus deliveries.  

The School of Aeronautics and Astronautics emphasizes research on key aircraft technologies and the development of large-scale, all-weather testing platforms, and the School of Atmospheric Sciences is developing cutting-edge numerical models and near-ground observation systems to enable precise wind field simulations and meteorological monitoring, providing critical weather decision support for aircraft operations.  

The School of Geography and Planning is building a technical framework that includes drone base stations and advanced sensor clusters. The School of Electronics and Information Technology has made significant progress in air route safety, radar target detection, meteorological support, navigation, positioning, and communication control, contributing to the safety and efficiency of low-altitude operations.