It seems like every other day we are hearing of new companies claiming to make drone delivered goods a reality.  For years Amazon has been saying that they are committed to providing their customers with deliveries of their orders with in 30 minutes via drone.  Due to many logistical issues they have yet to make good on their promise.  However there are some companies that are in fact winning the race for residential drone deliveries.

One such company is ready to do so in Australia.  Wing, the drone company owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, has just made 3,000 residential deliveries within an 18 month trail run.  Australia’s aviation regulatory system has now granted Wing to make deliveries to about 100 residences in the communities of Franklin, Crace, Palmerston, with hopes of expanding soon.  Wing will be collaborating with local merchants like bakeries, coffee shops, and pharmacies.  With the use of drones these businesses will be able to make deliveries to their customers with in minutes.

There will of course be regulations involved to keep everyone safe.  Such as restricted fly times, specific routes available, and any merchant or customer wanting to participate will have to go over safety and procedural measures.  The drones that Wing has designed are a cross between a plane and a helicopter, only scaled down.  They will use both fixed wings and rotors while being able to take off and land without the need of a runway.  The drones can fly for about 10km at heights of 400ft.  They can carry packages weighing about 1.5kg

With Wing’s launch set to be one of the first public drone delivery agencies, technology and drone companies around the world are very excited.  Wing estimates that by the year 2030, drones will be delivering as many as one out of four takeaway orders.  They predict that the industry can reach a value of AU$30-AU$40 million in a short time.  Though Wing is the first official public drone delivery service, there are others around.  For example Zipline and Matternet have both begun to successfully deliver medical supplies to hospitals and healthcare centers. 

With so many positive trails going on, it’s only a matter of time before companies like Amazon will be catching up in the race.  Wing has proven that they can design a drone that can logistically meet the demands of complex residential deliveries.  With ever advancing technologies, logistical issues are sure to soon become a non issue for rapid residential drone delivery.

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