DoorDash is testing delivery with drones, which could make it easier for customers to get their food and drinks. The company has been working on the idea for a while and is now testing it out with a few restaurants. DoorDash says that the delivery will be faster and more accurate than traditional methods.
DoorDash is partnering with Alphabet’s Wing division in Logan, Australia to deliver convenience and grocery items via a drone travelling at 110km/h, which will have even more pressure than usual to stick the landing. The program is open to a small number of customers, and they can expect the items to arrive in about 15 minutes, Wing claims. So the ice cream won’t be melted yet.
It won’t be much different from a regular DoorDash delivery at first. Customers will be able to choose from a small number of items able to fit into the small payload of 1 kg (no giant bags of dogfood or novelty-sized wheels of cheese, for instance), and then checkout.
That’s where things get a bit different, as the buyer will then have specify a delivery spot where the drone can drop off its payload, and confirm that the area is clear so there are no drone/kite collisions or something. You’d have to exchange information, it would be a whole thing.
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Wing says this the first time its drone delivery service will available via a third party app. The GPS location of the drone will be tracked in real-time as it dodges electricity wires and trees like that old paper airplane video game. But a drone bringing snack reinforcements will certainly impress your friends at a barbeque.
“Drone delivery can provide an excellent complement to our ground delivery services. Delivery drones create a quick, efficient delivery option for smaller orders weighing just over a kilo, and free up ground delivery services for larger deliveries that provide better compensation to drivers,” said Rebecca Burrows, General Manager Australia, DoorDash.
“This partnership will bring the most popular delivery bundles that customers can expect to receive in less than 15 minutes. Whether it’s Vegemite and butter, iced coffee, corn chips and salsa, baby food and even band-aids, this will make accessing those last minute necessities a whole lot easier.”
Does Vegemite taste better after delivered by drone? Who knows.
Source: Wing Via: Engadget
