Petulant American man-boy tycoons wishing to command armies of taco-and beer-delivering quadcopters are perhaps having their peevishness augmented by the Federal Aviation Administration, which has yet to finalize regulations on how commercial drones might ply the sky. Curses! Elsewhere in the world, though, drone-enabled deliveries are starting to get off the ground. These pint-size copters can quickly and cheaply ferry lifesaving supplies to remote places, deliver books on the double, and, yes, drop off pepperoni pizzas.
DHL PARCELCOPTER
Max payload: 2.6 pounds // Max range: 7.5 miles // Width: 40.6 in FRANCESCO MUZZI
THE NORTH SEA
Payload: Medicines like painkillers or anticoagulants
Method: Automated (but a pilot monitors the flight)
Status: A local ferry service makes daily runs to the island of Juist, but the drone is for urgent orders; the flight takes a mere 17 minutes.
COPTER EXPRESS OCTOCOPTER
Max payload: 6.6 pounds // Max range: 1.7 miles // Width: 30 in FRANCESCO MUZZI
SYKTYVKAR, RUSSIA
Payload: Pizza
Method: Preprogrammed via GPS and equipped with cameras monitored from the pizza shop; the pie is dropped down to the customer on a cable.
Status: If you're in Syktyvkar, just call Dodo Pizza and order Одну большую пиццу пожалуйста.
MATTERNET QUADCOPTER
Max payload: 2.2 pounds // Max range: 17.4 miles // Width: 35.4 in FRANCESCO MUZZI
BHUTAN
Payload: Antibiotics from the hospital in the Himalayan capital of Thimphu, at 7,710 feet above sea level, up to a remote mountain health clinic
Method: Automated (after operators program in the destination)
Status: Tests ran in August 2014, and a rollout is planned for 2015.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Payload: Saliva samples for tuberculosis testing, from Malalaua to the Kerema hospital; the drone shortens what can be a days-long overland trip to one hour.
Method: Automated
Status: Tests ran in September 2014 in anticipation of a 2015 rollout.
GOOGLE X SELF-FLYING VEHICLE
Test payload: 2.6 pounds // Test range: 7.5 miles // Width: 40.6 in FRANCESCO MUZZI
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA
Payload: Dog treats, cattle vaccines, and a first-aid kit for farmers
Method: Will be preprogrammed; once in position, it lowers the package on a line and a bundle of sensors detect when the package has hit the ground.
Status: It's still in the research stages.
FLIRTEY HEXACOPTER
Max payload: 5.5 pounds // Max range: 10 miles // Width: 48 in FRANCESCO MUZZI
SYDNEY
Payload: Physics and law textbooks to University of Sydney students
Method: Automated
Status: More testing is ongoing at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Not all drone deliveries are part of a business model or humanitarian effort. Here are some of our other favorite delivery projects: Dry-Cleaning (Philadelphia); Vegetarian Burrito (Palo Alto, California); Carne Asada Burrito (Sunnyvale, California); Chicken Wings (Milford, Connecticut); Two large Domino’s Pepperoni Pizzas (Redhill, Surrey, England); Cake (Shanghai); Beer (Oppikoppi Music Festival, Limpopo Province, South Africa); Case of Beer (Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota); Sushi Burgers (London); Flowers (Commerce Township, Michigan)
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