Alphabet subsidiary Wing has started commercial deliveries via drones in the United States, after being the first company to receive the federal approval to do so previously this year.
Wing has collaborated with FedEx and Walgreens to work on their pilot, and the first customers, Michael and Kelly Collver, are receiving a “cough and cold pack,” which includes Tylenol, cough drops, facial tissues, Emergen-C and bottled water, via the overhead drone directly at their residence.
The Collvers ordered the package from the Wing app from Walgreens and the drone will now drop their product in the yard or driveway of the residence they have provided in Christianburg. This makes Walgreens the first retailer in the history to to do a store-to-customer doorstep delivery via drone. FedEx with be the first logistics company to make an eCommerce delivery using drones.
Wing has also joined hands with a the Virginia’s local retailer Sugar Magnolia, for the sake of offering small products such as chocolates and paper goods to the customers at their doorsteps.
Wing has successfully commenced its venture into the drone delivery paradigm with a new Air Carrier Certificate from the FAA. This also allows it to expand its service, and an authority to the Wing’s pilots to maneuver multiple human-less drones at the same time.
This can be considered as a huge milestone in the path of delivery system, and also an indication that people should now be prepared for receiving deliveries in this new fashion now. UPS has also secured FAA approval to operate a commercial drone delivery service earlier this month, so, clearly the revolution in the delivery system is coming very fast. Though the full fledged application of the drones in public might take a while, the test and analysis is sure to be vigorous in the current frame of time.
