A drone lands in the backyard of a Texas house and drops a bag of snacks. There are condensation beads on the soda bottle – it’s still cold.
Drone deliveries have finally become a reality in some parts of the United States, and for some users, they arrive in less than 15 minutes.
Several drone delivery services, including Amazon, Alphabet-owned Wing and Israeli start-up Flytrex, have started operating in the country after receiving the green light from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Wing says it makes deliveries by drone in about 10 minutes and its services can help ease road congestion.
“It’s more environmentally friendly. These are all-electric drones that use very little electricity,” said Jacob Demit, Wing’s marketing and communications manager in the US.
Tiffany Bokhari lives in Frisco, Texas. He tested out Wing’s drone delivery app before Curiosity, and did it again when he needed a band-aid.
Now it’s the third time a drone brings her the lightweight items she orders — in this case, snacks and that cold soda — from her smartphone.
“I think it’s better to deliver by car versus by drone because it’s helpful for the environment, you know. It saves gas and money, and saves the environment,” she said.
For now, Wing’s 4.5 kg drone can load food and smaller products weighing up to 1 kg.
Proponents of aerial drop-off claim that electric drones are more efficient and safer than traditional deliveries made by fossil fuel-powered cars.
“Drones don’t get tired. They don’t try to text while you’re driving. They don’t drink and drive… you just get better service,” Flytrex CEO Yariv Bash told AFP.
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