Google company Alphabet is teaming up with the popular food chain Chipotle to test drone delivery for Virginia Tech students, according to a report from Bloomberg.
“This is the most complex delivery flight operation that I am aware of that’s occurred on U.S. soil,” the program’s director, Mark Blanks said to Bloomberg, who first reported the story. The drones, which will be hybrid aircraft that can both fly and hover, will make deliveries coordinated by a Chipotle food truck on the Virginia Tech campus.
Alphabet initially tested Project Wing in Australia, and Amazon recently launched a pilot program for its Prime Air drone delivery service in the UK. In October of last year, Wal-Mart applied to U.S. regulators to test drones for home delivery, curbside pickup and for checking warehouse inventory.
Now, after gaining approval from the White House last month, Google is ready to team up with a national restaurant chain for one of the more ambitious real-world delivery programs. Project Wing chose to partner with Chipotle because it presented unique challenges, like a drone delivering hot food without special packaging.
The drones will be automated and guided by software, but human pilots will also be available to take control if necessary. Also, the drones are prohibited from flying directly over human beings. So active participants will be shielded appropriately, according to Alphabet.
The pilot program follows other attempts at testing out drone technology for home delivery elsewhere in the world. This is an exciting idea for food chains and people interested in drones. I mean, who wouldn't like burritos falling from the sky?
