Drone leverer småpakker i Australia under lock down - Australian Aviation

 

GOOGLE DRONES TO FLY COFFEE TO OFFICES IN QUEENSLAND

written by Adam Thorn | May 26, 2021

Google Wing’s new quieter drones, set to be rolled out soon (Wing)

Google’s drone delivery service, Wing, will soon be delivering coffee to offices in Logan, Queensland.

The development is possible because the business will soon extend its service beyond residential homes to include commercial business locations in a dozen suburbs – up from just three currently.

Wing first launched in Canberra in 2019 and currently allows for the delivery of packages that weigh less than 1.5 kilograms from a variety of retailers who sell household goods.

The business, a subsidiary of Google owner Alphabet, first launched in 2012 and has conducted more than 100,000 flights worldwide.

On Wednesday, Wing revealed its pilot service grew 500 per cent in 2020, and has now made more than 18,000 deliveries to the Logan community, including more than 1,000 deliveries during the last state-wide lockdown.

“Many people in Logan have contacted us asking for service, and in response to that feedback, we’ve recently expanded beyond our initial service suburbs of Crestmead, Marsden and Berrinba,” said Jess Suskin, Wing’s head of community affairs.

“Wing is now available in more than a dozen suburbs in Logan, including drone delivery to customers in parts of Loganlea, Waterford West, Slacks Creek, Logan Central, Woodridge, Kingston, Park Ridge, Browns Plains, Heritage Park and Regents Park.

“In the coming weeks we’ll also be expanding even further to include service for customers in Edens Landing, Bethania, Holmview, Waterford and Beenleigh.

“We’ve already taken the first steps, adding new merchants and products to our delivery service, including adding Blackout Coffee to our lineup last month, with their fresh salads, sandwiches and baked goods available for drone delivery.

“Additionally, as more Logan residents returned to working from the office, we’ve started delivering to workplaces so that staff from selected local businesses in Logan can now access the convenience of drone delivery at work.”

Wing will also move to introduce quieter drones that it claims almost halves the noise generated.

Once a customer submits an order via the app, the drone flies to pick up the package at the designated delivery centre, before climbing to a cruise height of 45 metres and flying to the destination.

Once there, it hovers and lowers the package to the ground, automatically unclipping the parcel without assistance from the customer.