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$20,000 mail drone takes flight -- and hits a wall
Want to know why mail drones aren't ready for prime time? Russia can tell you. The Siberian town of Ulan-Ude was expecting to beam with pride as organizer Rudron/Expeditor 3M tested a postal drone in the area for the first time, but they left red-faced after the inaugural flight went spectacularly wrong. The hexacopter courier went haywire moments after takeoff, smacking into the side of a building at high speed -- as you can see in the video below, it went from technological triumph to an embarrassing pile of scrap metal in a matter of seconds.
Walmart may use a blimp to deploy its delivery drones
Hey, Amazon: you aren't the only one who pictures blimps full of delivery drones. Walmart has applied for a patent on "gas-filled carrier aircrafts" that would serve as airborne bases, helping courier drones fly to homes they couldn't reach if they flew from a fixed location. The concept isn't completely new, of course (Amazon filed for a similar patent in 2016) but Walmart goes into exacting detail. Blimps would fly at altitudes up to 1,000 feet and talk to a remote scheduling system that indicates when drones should fetch packages from inside the blimp and head to their destinations.
Canada may have delivery drones in service by late 2017
Don't look now, but Canada might just join the likes of France and the UK in ushering in the courier drone era. Transport Canada has approved its first drone test range near the tiny village of Foremost, Alberta, clearing the way for Drone Delivery Canada to launch a robotic cargo service as soon as late 2017. The roughly 927 square miles will help DDC prove that its drones can haul goods across long distances using satellite guidance. Tests with the company's early partners should start sometime in the first quarter of the year.
Mercedes backs a startup to shape the future of delivery drones
Mercedes-Benz probably isn't the first name you associate with delivery drones, but it's committing to those robotic couriers in a big way. The automaker has invested in drone logistics developer Matternet, and the two have worked together on a Vision Van concept (above) that would make delivery drones more practical. The electric vehicle amounts to a last-mile launching pad: drones can grab packages from its "fully automated" cargo space and fly a relatively short distance to complete deliveries that would be impractical (or just slow) for a human courier. And when it would connect everyone from the distribution center to recipients, it would manage deliveries that aren't usually feasible today -- same-day delivery at a specific time, for instance, rather than making a best effort.
ICYMI: VR manipulation and drone delivery for 3D tissue
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-919110{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-919110, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-919110{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-919110").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Virtual reality researchers found a way to trick the brain into believing objects exist in the real world that only exist in the virtual one, by warping perception in a way you have to watch the video to believe.
Australia tests mail delivery drones
If you needed any further proof that drones can be mail couriers, you just got it. Australia Post has successfully field-tested a drone system that would deliver small packages, particularly time-sensitive goods like medication. It was only a closed test this time around, but the move clears a path for trial deliveries to real customers later in the year -- this isn't just a preview of long-term plans, like you've seen with other services.
Weather could keep delivery drones on the ground
A key threat to delivery drones isn't regulation, it's weather. DHL cancelled a demonstration of its package-toting UAV this week due to snow and a drop in temperatures. The shipping company was originally scheduled to show off a drone that can drop off 2-kilogram packages (around 4.5 pounds) at lockers. This proposed solution is different from the delivery aspirations of Amazon and others that plan to leave orders at your door.
Amazon exec explains how Prime Air delivery drones will work
Amazon vice president Paul Misener doesn't know if the company already has a pricing scheme for its Prime Air service, but he knows everything else there is to know about the delivery drones. He talked about the project at length in an interview with Yahoo Tech, where he explained how it will work and how Amazon plans to solve the issues it's facing. The exec confirmed earlier reports that the online retailer is developing different types of UAVs for different locations.
Drones will deliver mail in Switzerland this summer
You know which organization doesn't want to fall behind Amazon, DHL and Alibaba when it comes to drone deliveries? The Swiss Post. Yes, Switzerland's postal service wants to deliver small packages using small drones. In fact, it will start using quadcopters developed by a company called Matternet to drop off its customers' parcels during a pilot program this summer. Matternet ONE can carry anything up to 2.2 pounds for over 12 miles on a single charge, and the Post will put it to the test delivering small things like medicine or documents.
