M’sians could soon travel in self-flying drones, and this local startup is leading the charge

[This is a sponsored article with Alphaswift Industries.]

“Isn’t it obvious that everyone wants to get to where they want to, as quickly as possible, and preferably flying in style?” 

Imagine travelling from KL to Ipoh, or even Penang, in an hour or two. No traffic jams, no tolls, and no airplane pilot in sight. It’s just you and a self-flying passenger drone taking you from one destination to another.

That’s the future Dr. Shian Lee (CEO) and his team at Alphaswift Industries envisions. 

And they’re building it right here in Malaysia.

How the pandemic sparked a revolutionary idea

It was at the height of the COVID-19 lockdown when Dr. Lee and his team noticed a jarring problem. 

People needed important goods that couldn’t be delivered to them because the pandemic halted the global logistics chain. Parcels sat in warehouses and supplies moved at a crawl. To Dr Lee, the solution was obvious—drones, or also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). 

They can fly and transport items while avoiding traffic, and they don’t have to rely on human drivers or pilots.

So together with Albert Chan (COO) and Edward Lim (CMO), the trio founded Alphaswift Industries, providing customisable drones to be a part of the solution. 

They mainly serve the agriculture and shipping industries with the firm’s drones. These support moving chemicals (like herbicides) from warehouses to farms, as well as moving cargo to and from hard-to-reach areas.

Some of these are hybrid drones that use the firm’s in-house hybrid electric propulsion tech, created in response to constant complaints from customers about the low flight time of battery drones.

“There is also the huge hassle of handling over 10 batteries whenever they go out for daily operations,” Dr. Lee explained. “On the contrary, hybrid electric propulsions omit the bulk of batteries and convert the petrol chemical energy directly to electricity, powering the motors.”

From labs to plantations and offshore rigs

While it’s only been five years since its inception, Alphaswift Industries has made a name for itself in the drone industry.

It’s the first startup in Malaysia to build a certified drone for cargo delivery operations at the offshore oil rigs. Instead of having to carry equipment and other essential cargo via boats, oil rig operators save time and money with its drone deliveries.

In the region, Alphaswift Industries has gained recognition for being the first Southeast Asian startup to build a certified unmanned aircraft to carry biohazardous medical cargo. Dr. Lee and his team are also the first to obtain approvals for such operations.

Blood, medicines, and other biohazardous payloads can now be transported from hospital to hospital thanks to the firm’s tech.

This marks a huge milestone for the company as it ventures towards the self-flying passenger drone development.

Reimagining how Malaysians could commute 

Speaking openly, Dr. Lee (who has a doctorate in aerospace engineering) told us this passenger drone dream stems from his yearning to travel freely, anytime and anywhere.

“I want to be able to stay in my hometown in Perak and fly daily to work in KL. I want Malaysians who are working in Singapore to be able to go home as much as possible. I want to save the small towns from extinction, bring people back to their hometowns, and bring businesses back together.”

The team also believes that travelling via self-flying passenger drones would save significant time for other activities and allow for people to expand their social circles, no longer constrained to just small cities.

At this point you may be wondering, how does his team know that self-flying passenger drones is something Malaysians actually want?

To this, Dr. Lee echoed Henry Ford’s statement: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse.”

Aside from the clear social benefits, the CEO shared that this could unlock a new economic sector and create new job opportunities. He envisions air taxi companies where operators will transport passengers from one vertiport to another.

Environmentally, he noted that self-driving passenger drones could reduce traffic congestion and lower one’s carbon footprint because they fly directly to destinations. 

Building a skybound future

Alphaswift Industries’ timeline for these self-flying passenger drones is:

• 2026 – Research and development
• 2028 – Obtain government approvals and compliance
• 2029 – Manufacturing
• 2030 – Commercialisation

It’s an ambitious project and Dr. Lee admits that it won’t be easy to convince investors, especially those in Malaysia, but the team will try nevertheless.

That said, the company wants to be a self-sustaining profitable business with other sources of revenue, such as its delivery and agricultural drones, before developing this next big venture.

“If the project is successful, great. If it fails, well, the company will still be okay because it’s already self-sufficient,” Dr. Lee confided. He estimates the ballpark investment figure is US$100 million to turn his dream into a reality.

As Alphaswift Industries continues to strengthen its core business models, the team is quietly laying the groundwork for a future where human transportation via drones isn’t only in science fiction.

Should everything go according to plan, Dr. Lee’s dream of making personal drone flights as easy as clicking “send” on an email will be fulfilled. Now, wouldn’t that be something?

• Learn more about Alphaswift Industries here.
• Read other stories we’re written about Malaysian startups here.

Featured Image Credit: Alphaswift Industries