Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Toddler's popsicle-by-air marks milestone in U.S. drone delivery
Toddler's popsicle-by-air marks milestone in U.S. drone delivery
By Alan Levin / Bloomberg 2 hrs ago
From her home in a wooded hollow in Virginia hill country, Brianna Smith and her two-year-old son Jack entered the aviation record books on Tuesday. ... Just six minutes after a technician from Alphabet Inc.'s Wing clicked the "Confirm Order" button on a smartphone app, a drone operated by the company had flown from a simulated store more than a mile away, hovered over her lawn and lowered the ice cream and Popsicle she'd ordered. ... "Airplane brought me a Popsicle," said Jack.
The Smiths were part of a Federal Aviation Administration-approved test that for the first time allowed flights over congested areas where people live, and ventured beyond the view of its operator on the ground. It was the most realistic public demonstration to date in the U.S. that people may someday get near instant purchases sent to their home by unmanned devices.
"Today we're going to see what I've been preaching, how drones are going to change your daily experience," said Mark Blanks, director of the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership and a sponsor of the test program. The delivery was to his next-door neighbor. "It works. I'm just excited to see deliveries in my neighborhood."
The demonstration in Blacksburg was conducted under the U.S. government's Integration Pilot Program, which was unveiled last May. The Department of Transportation selected 10 government and tribal agencies to work with industry and academia to push the boundaries of drone technology at the same time that they wrestle with potential public unease and legal questions.
....
By Alan Levin / Bloomberg 2 hrs ago
From her home in a wooded hollow in Virginia hill country, Brianna Smith and her two-year-old son Jack entered the aviation record books on Tuesday. ... Just six minutes after a technician from Alphabet Inc.'s Wing clicked the "Confirm Order" button on a smartphone app, a drone operated by the company had flown from a simulated store more than a mile away, hovered over her lawn and lowered the ice cream and Popsicle she'd ordered. ... "Airplane brought me a Popsicle," said Jack.
The Smiths were part of a Federal Aviation Administration-approved test that for the first time allowed flights over congested areas where people live, and ventured beyond the view of its operator on the ground. It was the most realistic public demonstration to date in the U.S. that people may someday get near instant purchases sent to their home by unmanned devices.
"Today we're going to see what I've been preaching, how drones are going to change your daily experience," said Mark Blanks, director of the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership and a sponsor of the test program. The delivery was to his next-door neighbor. "It works. I'm just excited to see deliveries in my neighborhood."
The demonstration in Blacksburg was conducted under the U.S. government's Integration Pilot Program, which was unveiled last May. The Department of Transportation selected 10 government and tribal agencies to work with industry and academia to push the boundaries of drone technology at the same time that they wrestle with potential public unease and legal questions.
....
