There is little doubt that the future of drones includes uncrewed aircraft delivery services. From online ordering to life-saving medications, our skies will soon teem with drones. Several of the world’s leading companies have been in a race against each other to be the first to provide a drone delivery service. Over the last few years, giants such as Google, Amazon, UPS, and Uber have poured enormous resources into the dream that is drone delivery.
The potential benefits of delivering goods through drones are enormous. Speed of delivery, accessibility, and environmental impact are just a few of the areas likely to see gains. According to an economic study released by the New York-based research firm AlphaBeta, drone delivery has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 99 percent when compared to cars and trucks. If you are keeping up with current events, you have likely heard that Wing, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. (now the parent company of Google) launched the first successful commercial drone delivery. On October 18, 2019, Wing delivered a FedEx package containing a birthday gift to a home in Christiansburg, Virginia. That flight was the first FAA-approved door-to-door drone delivery in United States history. To accomplish this feat, Wing partnered with Walgreens and Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
This story is from the January/ February 2020 edition of RotorDrone.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January/ February 2020 edition of RotorDrone.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Windracers Mail Delivery
With its partner Windracers Ltd., Royal Mail has become the first UK parcel carrier to deliver mail to a UK island in a 70-mile, beyond-line-of-sight, autonomous flight to the Scilly Isles. Tasked to better connect the islands’ remote communities, a consortium including Royal Mail, Windracers Ltd., DronePrep, University of Southampton, Excalibur Healthcare Services, and Consortiq Limited is funded by UK Research and Innovation.
Counting Penguins
Counting penguins is harder than it sounds. With freezing rain, snow, and chilling winds that limit the flight windows for the surveys, it takes scientists using three full days to map the location of 300,000 nesting pairs of Adélie penguins on Antarctica’s Cape Crozier.
A Drone Double Play
Beach cleanup and a historic bridge
Understanding Aviation Sectional Charts
Signs and symbols every remote pilot needs to know
10 TOP JOBS
Fields where drones are taking off!
AUTONOMOUS RESUPPLY IN A CONGESTED BATTLESPACE
Can autonomous drones deliver supplies to troops in an active firefight? DroneUp recently partnered with a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Allied Command Transformation (ACT) Joint Force Development (JFD) exercise to find out.
IMPROVE YOUR DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY
10 must-know Lightroom tips
UAS TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT The Key to the Future of Drones
In 2012, Congress passed the FAA Modernization and Reform Act, which established a deadline for the agency: achieve full integration of drones into the airspace by 2015. As the calendar rolls over into 2021, this begs an obvious question: “Are we there yet?”
FLYING FOR A LIVING
A professional UAS operator on what it takes to be successful
ON THE WING
This bird-like drone is incredibly agile and efficient
