How far has Amazon and Alphabet's 'drone delivery' come?
About nine years have passed since Amazon
Amazon, Alphabet and Others Are Quietly Rolling Out Drone Delivery Across America --WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-alphabet-and-others-are-quietly-rolling-out-drone-delivery-across-america-11648872022
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) approval for commercial use of drones is being reviewed in a very long process, equivalent to an aircraft. This is because there is a concern that the drone may crash or collide with a passenger plane, leading to a major accident. The FAA says it is developing a framework for secure approval of drone delivery, but it has not yet been realized.
Meanwhile, Zipline was the first San Francisco start-up to start commercial delivery in partnership with a Wal-Mart store in Arkansas. The company has already delivered 275,000 commercial deliveries centered on pharmaceutical products in Rwanda and Ghana, and has recorded a total flight distance of 20 million miles (about 32 million kilometers). Flytrex, an Israeli drone delivery company, has also partnered with Wal-Mart, North Carolina, to deliver from the spring of 2020.
On the other hand, Amazon, which boasted that 'drone delivery will be put into practical use in 4 to 5 years' in 2013, received approval from FAA for conducting tests in June 2020, and in September 2022. The current situation is that we are planning to start commercial testing in California and Texas. Amazon is reportedly planning to eventually deploy 145 drone bases and deliver 500 million packages annually by drone.
In 2019, Amazon announced a drone that weighs nearly 90 pounds, which is by far the largest drone for home delivery. With hexagonal wings, this drone aims to deliver up to 5 pounds (about 2.25 kg) in less than 30 minutes.
by JORDAN STEAD / AMAZON
An Amazon spokeswoman declined to comment on the Wall Street Journal.
Wing, a subsidiary of Google's parent company Alphabet, is promoting the practical application of drone delivery by an approach different from Amazon, which uses large drones. According to Wing, which has been
'The Wing drone weighs only 10 pounds and is designed to be hard to break in the event of a crash or collision, and not to damage anything it hits.' Said Alexa Dennett, head of communications for the company.
Wing also has a unique drone management strategy, planning to fly drones from retail stores rather than dedicated drone bases. At this Wing drone delivery base, about 6 drones can take off and land vertically using the space for several cars in the parking lot of the store. Wing plans to partner with American pharmacy chain Walgreens to launch delivery services in Texas shortly.
by WING
Companies seeking drone delivery must overcome various hurdles related to large-scale aerial logistics service operations such as inventory management, fulfillment, user interface, and aircraft management, as well as drone regulation by FAA. Zipline CEO Kelly Linaud told The Wall Street Journal, 'Many people are attracted to drone aircraft, but the development of the drone itself accounts for about 15% of our business.' increase.
While challenges remain, companies are building up a track record of building trust with regulatory agencies and accelerating the licensing process. Flytrex CEO Yarive Bash said, 'FAA has come to think completely differently than it was a year ago. If you compare FAA's approach to baby hi-hi, walking and running, we're just starting to walk. I commented.
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