Wing (delivery of goods by drones)

2024: Use of robocurriers, which is handed orders with food to drone

In early October 2024, Serve Robotics announced a pilot project to partner with Wing Aviation (part of Alphabet's group) to expand the range of robotic food delivery services. Now, if necessary, Serve robots will deliver food from restaurants to nearby Wing stations, where the order will deliver drones to users.

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Serve Robotics

Serve has been delivering food through Uber's Eats service in Los Angeles for several years, using robots that look like autonomous shopping carts. Serve claims its courier robots can be a safe alternative to cars and reduce traffic congestion. Because the robots have a top speed of about six miles per hour, they pose little risk to pedestrians but increase delivery times. The pilot, in partnership with Alphabet's Google subsidiary Wing, should address the issue and extend the delivery range to a six-mile radius.

Wing previously unveiled its delivery network, which includes AutoLoader stations, where autonomous drones pick up orders. Retailers can afford to install an AutoLoader station in the parking lot, but small restaurants can't afford it. In such cases, collaboration with Serve can help them. The pilot will initially be rolled out in Dallas, where Serve's robot couriers will pick up orders at restaurants, deliver them to a Wing AutoLoader station "within blocks," and hand them over to a drone that will take the order directly to the customer. Because Wing drones fly at speeds of up to 65mph and don't slow down because of traffic lights or traffic congestion, the partnership should be beneficial to everyone: both small restaurants and their customers.^[1]

2023: Demonstration of the delivery system

On March 9, 2023, Wing, part of Alphabet Holding (owns Google Corporation), introduced an automated logistics system for delivering goods using unmanned aerial vehicles.

Wing notes that, as in many other areas - from data centers to smartphones, in the case of delivery of goods using drones, physical equipment is as useful as software and logistics networks. Therefore, the company offers a new concept called Wing Delivery Network. It provides for the deployment of a decentralized system: instead of using the main distribution center, Wing intends to deploy drone sites throughout the city. They can be located, for example, near supermarkets. This will speed up delivery, solve the "last mile" problem and simplify logistics in general. Car sharing services function in a similar way: a client can rent a nearby car, and not get to the central office.

Delivery system plans to work about decentralization

At the Wing Delivery Network sites distributed around the city, drones will be able to recharge their batteries. The system involves the use of special AutoLoader devices: in them, store employees will be able to leave orders without waiting for the arrival of the drone. After receiving a signal about the readiness of the parcel, the drone will independently pick it up and deliver it to the client.

The network is managed by logistics automation software, which constantly allocates hardware resources across the city. Such software controls drones, runways and AutoLoader modules, providing the most efficient logistics. Wing intends to begin deploying the system in 2023, and the commercial operation of the Wing Delivery Network will begin in mid-2024.^[2]

2021

Google launches drone delivery in Texas

At the end of October 2021 Google , it launched delivery. drones Texas For this project, Google's subsidiary began working with a pharmacy chain. Walgreens More. here

Stop delivering goods by drones in Australia over bird attacks

In September 2021, it became known that bird attacks forced Google to stop delivering goods by drones in Australia. Wing's service is faced with its devices being attacked by crows guarding their nests.

Wing announced the suspension of deliveries to parts of the city after several reports of crows lashing out at its drones. This comes at a time when demand for drone delivery has risen sharply due to Canberra's ongoing isolation from the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Bird attacks force Google to stop delivering goods by drones in Australia

The latest attack was filmed and posted online by Ben Roberts, a local who orders coffee through the service every morning. Magpies, as well as other birds such as hawks and wedge-tailed eagles, are also known to have attacked drones.

Wing said it had suspended delivery to a limited number of customers without giving an exact figure. The company's work in the rest of Canberra was not affected. Ornithologist Neil Hermes told ABC News Australia that while crows are very territorial, they have never attacked drones before.

Wayne Condon, chief pilot and instructor at UAV Training Australia, told the station that drone operators should avoid known nesting sites. In the end, this is their sky, and we are visitors, so a number of tasks must be done at Wing, which will be aimed at saving their aircraft and not harming the birds.

According to experienced pilots who regularly encounter birds circling near the drone, the operator does not need any special super-difficult piloting skills. Wing specialists need to carefully familiarize themselves with the landscape of the area in which the flights take place. If there are a lot of birds in this territory, then it is necessary to work out in theory a plan of action in the event of their attack, because birds have practically no competitors in the sky.^[3]

2020: Delivery of medicines and toilet paper

In April 2020, the Wing service expanded its range of products. Against the backdrop of growing demand for medicines, they began to be delivered with help. drones In addition, the company included toilet paper in the delivery - it was she who, along with drugs, became the most popular goods among people who are forced to stay at home in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19

As Business Insider writes in its April 9, 2020 issue with reference to a Wing representative, the service has processed more than 1,000 orders in the previous two weeks. It is available in three regions: in the US state of Virginia, in Finland and in Australia.

Google started delivering drugs and toilet paper with drones

Wing spokeswoman Alexa Dennett told reporters of a "significant" increase in demand for drone delivery services. So, in Virginia, the volume of orders exceeded expectations. As for the most popular products that users buy, they include ready-made soups, baby food, Italian pasta and over-the-counter medicines, as well as toilet paper.

In addition, drones began to deliver pastries and coffee,  and in Australia they are also used to deliver goods from warehouses to stores. Drones deliver packages at speeds of more than 100km/h.

After the coronavirus outbreak, Wing began entering into contracts with a large number of new customers, which include grocery chains, pharmacies and various retailers. By April 9, 2020, Wing remains the only fully operational commercial service for the delivery of goods by drones in the United States. It can be used by everyone in the service area.

Bloomberg reported  double use of courier drones in the United States and Australia. This is due to the global coronavirus pandemic and the desire of people to protect themselves from unnecessary social contacts. ^[4]

2019

Launch of the service in the USA

On April 23, 2019, it became known about the launch of the first USA in the commercial service for the delivery of goods using. drones This happened after for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) first time issued an aviation carrier certificate to the UAV operator. It was received by Wing, a holding company. Alphabet

This certificate is similar to that issued to regular airlines using aircraft. The FAA-granted authorization allows Wing to deploy drones for commercial delivery, charging customers who use the service.

First U.S. commercial drone delivery service launched

Wing has launched a drone delivery service in the United States, but by April 23, 2019, it is operating in a limited mode. A full-scale launch will take place later in 2019, and the first state to provide the service will be Virginia.

In the short term, this will help people with very busy schedules or parents with young children who don't have much time, "said Wing CEO James Ryan Burgess.

Drones will deliver orders around the clock. It is assumed that the main demand will be for the delivery of hot dishes and medicines.

According to experts, the first US permit for commercial delivery of cargo by drones by air, issued a few months after numerous tests and pilot launches, can significantly speed up the process of obtaining such permits by other companies and the release of services for the delivery of goods by air by drones to a wide market.

Prior to Wing, the Federal Aviation Administration issued only permits for demonstration flights involving short-distance delivery. Such received dozens of operators.^[5]

First commercial launch of the service

On April 8, 2019 Australia Google , it launched a commercial delivery service with. unmanned aerial vehicles The launch of the Wing project was preceded by its testing in Canberra from 2014.

For 18 months of testing before the start of Wing's work, drones carried out about 3 thousand deliveries to a wide audience.

The service allows you to order fresh food, coffee, over-the-counter medicines and other products using a mobile application. After placing an order, the drone can make delivery "in a matter of minutes," according to the creators of the service.

Wing drone delivering goods

By 8 April 2019, Wing is only available in three smaller Australian cities: Crace, Palmerston and Franklin. 

The Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) said Wing "convinced us that the service was operating in accordance with an acceptable level of safety." Before launching this service, the company had to submit a detailed safety report, including showing the reliable operation of drones. It is alleged that during the testing of the service, not a single accident occurred.

The Wing drone is a 14-rotor drone with the ability to take off and land vertically. It has an H-shaped frame with a straight wing and two longitudinal beams, each of which has six screws, allowing the drone to take off and land vertically , as well as hover over a certain area. In addition, two pulling screws are located on the wing, increasing the speed of the UAV during horizontal flight.

By 8 April 2019, Wing had entered into an agreement with 12 Australian companies that would use the service to deliver food, sports equipment and other products.^[6]

Notes