Wing, a subsidiary of Google’s parent corporation Alphabet, has announced that it will soon begin using UAS to deliver various items such as fresh bread, hot coffee and food items directly to homes in Queensland, Australia in just minutes.
The service will start in Logan, which is one of Australia’s fastest growing communities and home to the eighth largest population in Australia. Wing attributes several factors to what made Logan attractive for this service.
“One of the things we’ve learned from our first several thousand deliveries in Australia is that families with young children seem to particularly enjoy our service,” Wing says.
Package Delivery
Package Delivery
UPS applies for Part 135 certification to operate commercial UAS flights
UPS has applied for Part 135 certification to conduct commercial UAS flights in the UPS network under a subsidiary business called UPS Flight Forward Inc.
A recently incorporated business, UPS Flight Forward could receive Part 135 certification as early as this year, which would lay the groundwork for UPS having one of the first fully-certified, revenue-generating drone operations in the United States.
When approved, the certification will lay the foundation for UAS operations beyond an operator’s visual line of sight (BVLOS), as well as for flights that occur during the day or night.
Pierce Aerospace, Redwing Labs partner to advance global medical drone deliveries
In an effort to advance global medical drone deliveries, Pierce Aerospace has announced a partnership with a drone delivery company based in Bengaluru, India called Redwing Labs.
The partnership will leverage the respective strengths of each company, including Pierce Aerospace’s Remote Identification expertise and technologies, and Redwing Labs' long-distance delivery UAS and operations.
“I am happy to see Redwing Labs and Pierce Aerospace combining efforts to advance medical drone delivery around the world,” says Aaron Pierce, CEO Pierce Aerospace.
H-E-B, Udelv launching pilot program to test deliveries via autonomous vehicle
In partnership with Udelv, San Antonio-based supermarket company H-E-B has announced plans to launch a pilot program later this year to test a delivery service that uses an autonomous vehicle.
H-E-B will use an autonomous van from Udelv to serve customers near its Olmos Park H-E-B, which is just north of downtown San Antonio.
“At H-E-B, we continue to evaluate and utilize innovative technologies in all parts of our business,” says Paul Tepfenhart, senior vice president of Omnichannel and Emerging Technologies at Central Market and H-E-B.
Domino's, Nuro partner to deliver pizzas using autonomous vehicles
Domino’s Pizza customers in Houston, Texas will have the opportunity to experience autonomous vehicle technology firsthand later on this year thanks to a partnership between the pizza company and robotics company Nuro.
Domino’s will use a fleet of Nuro’s R2 autonomous vehicles to serve select Houston Domino's customers who place orders online.
“Nuro's vehicles are specially designed to optimize the food delivery experience, which makes them a valuable partner in our autonomous vehicle journey,” says Kevin Vasconi, Domino's executive vice president and chief information officer.
Zomato successfully tests drone technology; aims to get food to customers in less than 15 minutes
Zomato, an Indian restaurant search and discovery service, has announced that it has successfully tested its drone technology.
The company says that it met all of its parameters during the non-commercial delivery, which covered a distance of five kilometers in about 10 minutes. Using a hybrid UAS—a fusion of rotary wing and fixed wings on a single UAS—the company reached a peak speed of 80 kilometers per hour, carrying a payload of five kilograms.
Zomato's goal is to develop technology that gets food to customers in less than 15 minutes, so that they can enjoy their food as close to the state in which it was prepared by the chef at the restaurant. But the company says that 15 minutes is only possible if they take an aerial route.
Boxbot unveils new last-mile delivery system featuring self-driving vehicles
A last-mile logistics and automation startup called Boxbot is reimagining the way e-commerce packages and other shipments are delivered to consumers with its new last-mile delivery system featuring
Autonomous vehicle startup Gatik AI emerges from stealth; partners with Walmart
According to TechCrunch, an autonomous vehicle startup called Gatik AI has come out of stealth with $4.5 million in funding.
Operating out of Palo Alto, California and Toronto, Canada, Gatik AI, which has already partnered with Walmart, and is launching a service with Walmart in the coming weeks, wants to use autonomous light-commercial trucks and vans to perform short hauls of goods between businesses.
Amazon unveils latest Prime Air drone design
During Amazon’s re:MARS Conference (Machine Learning, Automation, Robotics and Space) in Las Vegas, the company unveiled its latest Prime Air drone design.
Amazon has been actively working to build fully electric UAS that can fly up to 15 miles and deliver packages under five pounds to customers in less than 30 minutes. The company says that with the help of its fulfillment and delivery network, it expects to scale Prime Air “both quickly and efficiently,” using the UAS to deliver packages to customers within months.
Amazon's newest drone design is equipped with advances in efficiency, stability and safety. The UAS also “advances the state of the art,” Amazon says, thanks to its hybrid design, and ability to perform vertical takeoffs and landings like a helicopter.
