Is Drone Delivery Finally Ready for Takeoff?

Tech companies from Google to Amazon have for years promised a future filled with packages falling safely from the sky. A startup called Zipline might be the first to make that future a widespread reality.

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[bahroum]

So many question were not asked. How is that scalable to millions of packages per day? Does this mean they will need to have millions of drones? What about noise? What are their current numbers? Does this have any hope of being profitable someday? What about turnover time? Infrasctructure needed for each plane etc. This sounds like a pipe dream.

Edit: all was answered watching mark rober's video on zipline. What those guys are doing is absolutely phenomenal.

[philipvecchio]

The FAA should let this available in Alaska yesterday.

[Ihaveanamenowtaken]

There's a specific reason why flying aircraft is heavily regulated around the world: it's very dangerous to fly a heavier than air apparatus over cities. smh.

[mattalford]

I can see this working in rural areas, but not cities. We didn't design our cities and towns with drone deliveries or self driving cars in mind.

[mattalford]

Im not giving up my flying drones because some corporation wants to reduce employee size.

[glennalexon]

Poor people around the world will be delighted by having Zipline deliver everything they order online. Think of all the lives they're going to save!

[kalebmanning]

Duck season may only be a few months but it’s about to be drone season year round.

[prakash_]

Looks fantastic. Very well done video!

[americameinyourmouth]

3:10 Golden billion? You started your company in America not Russia for a reason.

[frhyuhy]

Moving from a high dollar, extremely rural market to a low dollar urban market is hard. How many drone flights would be needed to deliver the packages in a single UPS truck, and how many ups trucks are on the road at one time. How much would you be willing to pay, $10-$50-$100, to get your coffee delivered in the morning? Makes sense when it would take over a day to deliver time critical packages, not when it would take 15 minutes by car.

[Siamect]

It's still Reynolds number that dictates the lack of efficiency of small aircraft. What works well in Rwanda where you don't have any other way of quick delivery don't work for delivery to households.

[heavyhookedup]

Amazing. I watched a video about them about 2 years ago and they are doing a great job.

[_of_]

Technically They are landing drones the same way I landed F16 at the Navy

[marccracchiolo]

But when and it will only pay if you get approval for urban flights

[_hadoken]

What happens when I try and hold onto the line as the drone retracts the cable?

[StudioDaVeed]

Weight is a huge issue.
I DoorDash - rare are my orders 'light' in weight.
2 drinks and a two orders of Asian/Mexican food and you are at 8-10 pounds easy.

[djorfuusk]

hahahaha completely pivots and avoids the “putting humans out of work” question... even added a nervous giggle laugh

[scarpfish]

Using drones for routine package delivery is effectively inventing the square wheel.

[choppergirl]

When these switch from pure electric to gas hybrid vehicles (gasoline engine driving generator that powers the electric motors), it suddenly becomes way more feasible because range and time in the air increases dramatically.

[neb]

I feel like they would be a great couple.