Google testing Project Wing drone delivery service
Amazon is not the only company investigating the possibility of using drones to deliver goods to customers – now search giant Google is testing a drone delivery system.
Google is conducting tests on Project Wing, a delivery-by-drone service, in Australia.
The project is being developed by Google X, the company’s Califfornia-based tech research branch which is also responsible for its self-driving car.
Google said it would take years of development to create a service with multiple vehicles flying multiple deliveries each day.
The Project Wing tests have bee taking place near Warwick, in southeast Queensland, in partnership with Unmanned Systems Australia to test the flight abilities of the drones.
A first aid kit, chocolate bars, dog treats and water were successffully delivered to Australian farmers on remote properties.
The drones fly between 40m and 60m off the ground. Google ran 30 delivery flights to farmers, the first of which managed to deliver to a site 1km away from the departure spot.
The prototype drones are 1.5m wide and 800cm tall, weigharound 8kg, and consist of four electrically-driven propellers, a GPS, cameras, radios and a measurement sensor.
Google spokesman Ray Gobberg said it was too soon to discuss specific business plans for the delivery drones, but the company said on its website that self-flying vehicles could offer a cheaper, faster and less wasteful way to move goods.
