So just recently word got out that at Virginia Tech the restaurant was going to start making deliveries via drone. How did that become a thing? How is that possible? These were just a couple of questions I wondered when I heard the news so I decided to put my investigating cap on and take a little look into the world of drones.
First off, how does a drone work exactly? The one big difference they have from their predecessor, the remote control helicopter, is that the drone is capable of working on its own without a pilot to a certain degree (Pullen). It has the self stabilize and hold GPS positioning which I think is pretty neat too. The drone has multiple propellers as a fail safe as well and relies on a rechargeable battery. With having multiple propellers, the blades are smaller and then safer to use. The drone does not have a lot of flight time, 25 minutes at the most, not factoring in other situations. The drone does need a pilot as well as a controller and place to take off and land. The controls are used with radio waves for communication from one to the other (Pullen). All in all the drone is a pretty neat invention and in the hands of some one who knows the basics, very safe (NVdrones).
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So how does this relate to Chipotle?
Google's parent company, Alphabet is partnering with Project Wing and Chipotle in order for this to happen. For a month, a select few of Virginia Tech students and employees will be able to use the system. The drones are made by the labs at Alphabet. The food will be ordered and then prepared in a Chipotle food truck near by. "Project Wing will run hundreds of flights and deliveries at a test site approved by the Federal Aviation Administration" (Guynn).
According to Astro Teller, they want to learn about peoples reactions to their air delivered packages and how unexpected circumstances will help them fix little details to even when managing a fleet of planes. They want to see how to pack the sensitive cargo and have it keep, and then gradually add things like drinks and other combinations in the equation.
While I think this is a grand idea, I feel like a lot of work and tests should be put into practice before this becomes a bigger thing. Not only do they have to factor food into the equation, they also have to factor in weather and how the drone works as well. Drones, while they can handle a lot of weight, have very short flight times and must fly in practically perfect weather conditions.
For instance, if it is a hot day then the flights have to be even shorter than they are already due to possible overheating and the drone will need a longer time to cool off. For a cold day, the battery drains very fast and you have the risk of the drone giving out on you. Drones cannot handle getting wet so any rain, sleet, or snow is out of the question. Even in fog and humidity you have to take precaution because it doesn't mean your drone still won't get wet, they could be even more susceptible (NVdrones).
I would be super excited to go to Virginia Tech right now to have the chance to receive my Chipotle via window, but for now I think its best to see how this goes. Maybe Alphabet has created a new version of the drone that can handle weather and longer flights.
It will be really cool to see how the great Chipotle flight goes so for now I am definitely going to stay tuned to this little experiment.
https://blog.nvdrones.com/5-ways-weather-affects-y...
http://time.com/3769831/this-is-how-drones-work/
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/09/08...
