Missing out on Thin Mints in the pandemic? A Google affiliate is using drones to deliver Girl Scout cookies to peopleB次元官网网址檚 doorsteps in a Virginia community.
The town of Christiansburg has been a testing ground for commercial delivery drones operated by Wing, a subsidiary of GoogleB次元官网网址檚 corporate parent Alphabet.
Now the company is adding the iconic boxed cookies to the more mundane drugstore offerings, FedEx packages and locally-made pastries, tacos and cold brew coffees itB次元官网网址檚 been hauling to a thinly populated area of residential subdivisions since 2019.
Wing said it began talking to local Girl Scout troops because theyB次元官网网址檝e been having a harder time selling cookies during the pandemic, when fewer people are out and about. The organization jumped on the new twist to its skills-building mission.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 excited that I get to be a part of history,B次元官网网址� said 11-year-old Gracie Walker, of the Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Troop 224. B次元官网网址淧eople are going to realize and be, like, B次元官网网址楬ey, this is better for the environment and I can just walk outside in my pyjamas and get cookies.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
ItB次元官网网址檚 the latest attempt to build public enthusiasm for futuristic drone delivery as Wing competes against Amazon, Walmart, UPS and others to overcome the many technical and regulatory challenges of flying packages over neighbourhoods.
Federal officials started rolling out new rules in mid-April that will allow operators to fly small drones over people and at night, potentially giving a boost to commercial use of the machines. Most drones will need to be equipped so they can be identified remotely by law enforcement officials.
The 10-pound Wing drone that made the first deliveries in Christiansburg in fall 2019 is already an artifact held at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Whether it will go down in history as a revolutionary innovation or a utopian flop remains to be seen.
Amazon has also been working on drone delivery for years. In 2013, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said in a TV interview that drones would be flying to customerB次元官网网址檚 homes within five years, but that deadline has long since passed. The company did win government approval to deliver packages by drones last August, but Amazon said it was still testing them and hasnB次元官网网址檛 started delivering goods to shoppers yet.
David Vos, an aerospace engineer who led GoogleB次元官网网址檚 Wing project until 2016, said he has been surprised that drone delivery ventures havenB次元官网网址檛 taken off more quickly.
B次元官网网址淚 thought it was completely doable to be up and going by 2021,B次元官网网址� Vos said. While he still thinks drone technology is getting closer to delivering the size, weight and power needed to transport goods safely in populated places, Vos said the tech industry also needs a cultural shift.
In particular, he said, it needs to bring on people from the traditional aviation industry who have experience building B次元官网网址渟afety-critical systemsB次元官网网址� that meet strict performance standards.
WingB次元官网网址檚 drones are able to navigate autonomously B次元官网网址� without a human pilot controlling them remotely B次元官网网址� and are powered by two forward propellers on their wings and 12 smaller vertical propellers. When a drone reaches its destination, it hovers above the front lawn as a tether releases to drop the package.
B次元官网网址淚t was so smooth and it didnB次元官网网址檛 shake,B次元官网网址� said Walker, who, before her troop added drones to its sales strategy, would don a mask and set up a cookie booth outside a home improvement store. B次元官网网址淭hey look like a helicopter but also a plane.B次元官网网址�
ThereB次元官网网址檚 not much evidence that consumers have been clamouring for drone delivery, and many have expressed privacy, safety or nuisance concerns when asked to imagine the noisy machines over their homes. Wing has objected to some of the FAAB次元官网网址檚 new drone rules on privacy grounds, saying the remote ID requirement could allow observers to snoop on delivery routes online.
But in a small survey of Christiansburg residents by researchers at nearby Virginia Tech that Wing helped fund, most townspeople appeared to be content with the drones.
B次元官网网址淥ne of the reasons is because Virginia Tech is here and thereB次元官网网址檚 an engineering culture of trying new things,B次元官网网址� said Lee Vinsel, an assistant professor of science, technology and society who conducted the Virginia Tech survey. B次元官网网址淎nd the suburban setup is easiest for drone delivery.B次元官网网址�
That might not be the case for much denser places, he added. B次元官网网址淢anhattan would be tough.B次元官网网址�
Matt OB次元官网网址橞rien, The Associated Press
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