Google Delivery Drones: Company Looks to Develop System to Deliver Products From the Sky [Watch]
Google is involved in maps and driverless cars, and now they're dabbling into drones delivery services.
Google X said Thursday that they will look to develop a system to deliver goods from drones in the sky. Google rival Amazon is also trying to develop a similar service, and Domino's Pizza has already testing delivering pizzas from drones.
Google tested a five-foot-wide, single-winged drone as a prototype and called it Project Wing. They tested delivering candy bars, dog treats, cattle vaccines, water and radios to farmers in Queensland, Australia, earlier this month.
The drones that Google is testing are small, only two and a half feet high. They have four propellers that move during different times of the flight. There's a small gap in the center of the wing that is the spot designed to hold the packages meant for delivery.
Right now, drones for commercial use are mostly banned in U.S. skies. The Federal Aviation Administration is thinking about changing that policy. In June, it let BP fly a drone over Alaska.
The FAA is being careful when reviewing this policy because drones are potentially dangerous, and there are privacy concerns with drones as well.
This isn't a new thing for Google. The company says they have been working on drones since 2011 and said it would take "years to create a service with multiple vehicles flying multiple deliveries per day."
Google wants these drones flying at about 130-200 feet above the ground. Very precise navigation is going to be needed from Google to maintain accuracy with delivery and safety. The delivery radius will be the size of a normal doorstep, Google said.
The prototype holds the item by a string before dropping it.
Watch a video of the drone prototype in action:
What do you think of the drones idea? Is it safe? Will it be successful for Google? Leave us a comment below and let us know.
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