Zipline and Wing, are ramping up operations in preparation for widespread deployment in the United States beginning next year.
Zipline unveiled the Platform 2 or P2 Zip, its next-generation autonomous electric delivery drone. Within a ten-mile radius, the drone can carry up to eight pounds of cargo and land on a space as small as a table or doorstep, making deliveries seven times faster than traditional services.
Zipline’s new drone has lift and cruise propellers, a fixed wing, and a mini-aircraft container known as the “droid” for package delivery. Within a ten-mile radius, it can carry up to eight pounds of cargo and can land a package on a space as small as a table or doorstep.”
“The reason that number is important,” says Zipline CEO and co-founder Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, “is that when you look at e-commerce in the US, a vast majority of packages weigh five pounds or less.
Meanwhile, Wing developed Wing Delivery Network, a logistics platform capable of supporting high-volume drone delivery. Logistics automation software manages delivery drones, pads, and autoloaders on the network.
Drones in the Wing Delivery Network can pick up, drop off, travel, and charge in any pattern that makes the most sense for the system as a whole. For example, with multiple charging stations, they will be able to meet peak consumer demand across entire cities. Pad locations can be easily added, with the aircraft serving as surveying tools to update and expand the network.
The Wing Delivery Network’s lightweight infrastructure makes it simple to integrate into existing retail operations, with autoloaders supporting curbside pickup without additional work for store employees.
The sources for this piece include an article in Axios.