Google drones will deliver Chipotle burritos at Virginia Tech

[Egnever]

http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/08/technology/google-drone-chipotle-burrito/index.html

For some lucky Virginia Tech students, there's a whole new way to get their Chipotle fix.
Project Wing, a drone project in Google's X lab, will begin testing drone delivery of burritos at Virginia Tech later this month. Google (GOOG) expects to conduct a few hundred deliveries over the course of several days or potentially weeks.
Burritos won't be delivered just anywhere on campus. Testing will be confined to a closed site. Students and employees from an adjacent building will be invited to order burritos on a special kiosk and watch as their food is flown several hundred meters over open ground. The food will be prepared on site in a Chipotle (CMG) truck.

Would certainly make lunch time interesting if nothing else.

[CentralMass]

1. How cool is that..

[hunter]

2. Be very, very, quiet...

... I'm hunting burritos.

[Codeine]

3. Strong drones.

Chipotle burritos are the size of a pillow.

[Major Nikon]

10. My basic rule is never to eat a burrito bigger than my turds

Reference the old monkey and cue ball joke.

[kwassa]

4. We aspire to so little in this country.

Let us replace fast-food delivery people.

[Warren DeMontague]

5. Wait, Chipotle Delivers?

WHY THE FUCK HAS NO ONE TOLD ME THIS?

[CentralMass]

8. I would hope that the drones will require and operator that will be paid a fair wage.

If so there could be some positives. The delivery is greener then having a delivery person drive a car to make deliveries and could help with traffic by putting one less vehicle on the road.

[Major Nikon]

11. FAA rules on commercial drone operation pretty much make this non-viable

Operating Rules:

Class G airspace*
Must keep the aircraft in sight (visual line-of-sight)*
Must fly under 400 feet*
Must fly during the day*
Must fly at or below 100 mph*
Must yield right of way to manned aircraft*
Must NOT fly over people*
Must NOT fly from a moving vehicle*

* All of these rules are subject to waiver

https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/fly_for_work_business/

Drones can also only operate in low wind conditions. At least in the foreseeable future, this is never going to be anything other than a novelty and is probably nothing more than an advertising gimmick.

[CentralMass]

13. Understood, but presumably, it could happen some day

Drone deliveries are already approved and being made in other countries.

The concept is for delivery items 5lbs and under.

[Major Nikon]

15. Perhaps, but the technology is going to have to come a lot farther

Other countries also tend to take a lot more risks when it comes to aviation and their safety record reflects that.

[JI7]

6. i think starbucks could be successful with this type of service

[Solly Mack]

7. If the order is wrong, does the drone still get a tip?

[NightWatcher]

9. Diarrhea from above!!! Diarrhea Drones Attack!!!

[LeftyMom]

12. Biological warfare?

[lindysalsagal]

14. and send them back re-engineered to recycle the packaging, no doubt.

Techies are builliant and creative.

[Skittles]

16. I find it hard to believe anyone needs a "Chipotle fix"

[NightWatcher]

17. If you were severely constipated, it'd technically be a "fix"

[Skittles]

18. LOL

CORRECT

[Purrfessor]

19. Breaking News: Two Burritos Survive Drone Crash

[JimGinPA]

20. In A Related Story...

Research at Virginia Tech into how to shoot down drones has increased dramatically.