Wing, Alphabet's drone company, unveiled a series of prototype designs, including larger drones that can deliver larger packages, and also conceived more mechanical designs for safe cargo delivery.
According to Wing CEO Adam Woodworth, this plan is to provide a more suitable drone cargo delivery service. Just as different goods are currently transported through ordinary cars, pickup trucks, and even large trucks, drones can also be designed with different specifications according to the type and weight of the goods being transported.
In the designs currently on display, Wing explained that it has built drones that can carry 0.6 pounds (about 300 grams) and drones that can carry more than 7 pounds (about 3.18 kilograms). It has also made different appearance adjustments for flight operations.
The current Wing design is capable of handling a load of 2.5 pounds (about 1.13 kilograms). Considering that approximately 90% of Amazon's packages weigh less than 5 pounds (about 2.27 kilograms), it is expected that drones will be able to solve most freight delivery problems. At the same time, it will also improve the time, manpower and other costs caused by traditional delivery by truck, and reduce air pollution problems during the freight process.
In addition to increasing flight stability through designs such as different sizes and numbers of rotors, Wing also proposes different cargo fixation ideas, including the currently used suspension delivery method, and also includes placing cargo inside the drone for more stable delivery.
However, Wing did not disclose when these prototype designs are expected to be put into use, only stating that these designs are still in the prototype stage.
WingStarting from April this yearWing has launched a delivery service in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, metropolitan area, becoming the first drone delivery service provider to offer this service in a major U.S. metropolitan area. The drones used in this service are again Wing's own design, featuring a multi-rotor, fixed-wing design. They can handle packages weighing up to 1.5 kg and have a maximum flight range of 10 kilometers. They operate using fully autonomous navigation, but can also be remotely controlled if necessary.
Items that can be ordered for delivery include items sold by the drugstore chain Walgreens, Blue Bell Creameries that provides ice cream and other products, Easyvet that provides pet medicines, and Texas Health that provides first aid kits and other items.
