Test Program Being Conducted In Rural Communities

It may seem like an odd combination, but Alphabet is testing delivery of medical supplies and burritos along with other items in rural southeastern Australia using drones.

In a blog post, James Ryan Burgess, Co-Lead of Alphabet's Project Wing, said the testing has been taking place over the past several weeks in a rural community on the border between the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales.

The testing is being conducted with families living in a community that is a 40-minute round trip by car for almost anything, Burgess wrote. They desire delivery of medicine, meals, staples and other supplies to their homes.

Alphabet’s drones are delivering goods directly to the homes of people who have volunteered to be a part of the test program, according to the post. "We have to incorporate customer preferences — e.g. many of our testers would like packages delivered to backyards so they’re not visible from the road, or near kitchens so food items can be unpacked quickly," Burgess wrote. "And we have to be ready to accommodate changing conditions at the delivery location. While our unmanned traffic management (UTM) platform lets us pre-plan a flight route, the sensors on our aircraft are responsible for identifying obstacles that might appear during a flight or delivery, like a car parked in an unexpected spot, or outdoor furniture that’s been moved. The more test deliveries we do, exposing the sensors on our aircraft to new delivery locations, the smarter our aircraft’s algorithms will one day become at picking a safe spot for deliveries."

The information gathered from the tests will help Project Wing to build a system so that merchants of all kinds can focus on what they’re good at — like making food or helping people feel healthier — rather than being distracted by complex delivery logistics, Burgess said.

(Source: Project Wing blog. Image provided)

FMI: Blog Post