Rise of the machines — and your shopping — as Google and Coles team up to deliver groceries by drone

[Dronut]

Rise of the machines — and your shopping — as Google and Coles team up to deliver groceries by drone

A company backed by Google's owner is replacing the delivery driver with a drone, as part of a pilot project with a major Australian supermarket. Experts say the idea could literally take off and may work out cheaper than road transport.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Gagey52]

Well that will be interesting. Shopping could end up anywhere.

 

[Atkas]

They've been doing these trials around Logan in SE QLD. Quite often on our local news. I still think it's gimmicky but they seem to be persisting. See where this goes...literally

 

[Dronut]

I'm not sure how they expect to make money from such light loads. I know there's been a ton of complaints about the noise, so if they expect to make their money from mass deliveries, then they're going to have to come up with some very quiet props. It will be also be interesting to see what happens in early Spring when the birds are nesting again...

 

[Deleted member 77603]

Trees, birds, wind, rain, overhead wires…..

Amazon is testing little box robots to make deliveries in our neighborhood. Again, with perfect streets, sidewalks with no cracks or tree roots it might work. Who knows?

 

[lookout]

 

[eEridani]

In Australia, and any rural market, a drone flight makes a lot of sense. Even prop noise can be considered a good thing since it announces the arrival of your package. In urban areas, not so much.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Drone delivery only makes sense if delivering high price, small weight / mass type products, OR remote areas where a nest truck could dispatch a drone to deliver off the beaten path to save a trip way out of a normal run route.
Delivery vans / truck are efficient, they carry / deliver hundreds of parcels a day of almost any weight / size.

Unless they go to half helicopter size drones, it's always going to be a bit of a fad.
Having nests every say 5 - 10 km grid square is just not going to be very economical / feasible / safe etc.

Courier van type hubs are like one in a major city, and work very efficiently in general.

Look at the trial in the Logan area SE QLD.
Brothers neighbours ordered a pack of Tim Tams from the local shopping hub nest, just the normal price, no extra for drone delivery, discarded little delivery box must cost a couple of bob . . . how is this going to work long term ?

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This is of course the Wing (Alphabet / Google) system, think the same as being trialled in some ACT suburbs.

I know this property fairly well, I must note it is pretty impressive coming down amongst all the larger gums and pines there.

Edit typo, and as per YT video description apologies for the woman / child shrieks, I did reduce volume approx 90% to cut out the worst of it.

 

[lookout]

Amazon tells the FAA not to investigate their accidents.

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Gee, I wish I could do that.

 

[Prt60]

Rise of the machines — and your shopping — as Google and Coles team up to deliver groceries by drone

A company backed by Google's owner is replacing the delivery driver with a drone, as part of a pilot project with a major Australian supermarket. Experts say the idea could literally take off and may work out cheaper than road transport.

www.abc.net.au

So when it's a corporate enterprise that make billions each year it ok to fly a drone in suburbs but when it's the average Joe having a bit of fun it's stalking. Sounds like a touch of double standards in my humble opinion.

 

[LoudThunder]

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I don't watch TV at all now really, but this ACA story popped up on my Youtube.

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LOL, and this guy is responsible for all the local (noisy) Wing drones in the story it seems.
Check out his Wing box collection at 2:58 !!

 

[lookout]

So when it's a corporate enterprise that make billions each year it ok to fly a drone in suburbs but when it's the average Joe having a bit of fun it's stalking. Sounds like a touch of double standards in my humble opinion.

I'd say they know where they're going with this whole thing.

 

[Bob in Savannah]

Might be able to deliver my eye drops but I don't think Ill be getting a gallon of milk via drone anytime soon...

 

[LoudThunder]

I don't think Ill be getting a gallon of milk via drone anytime soon...

Sure you will, you just might not like the container they transport it in...

 

[SkyeHigh]

Sure you will, you just might not like the container they transport it in...

View attachment 155950

Which reminds me of a little poem:

There was a little birdie flying high,
that dropped a message from the sky
“Phew!”, said the farmer wiping his eye
… it’s a good job cows can’t fly

 

[lookout]

Sure you will, you just might not like the container they transport it in...

View attachment 155950

That don't look like a drone pilot to me.

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Sure he is Mr Bill. Its being flown by pilot Steve and he's here to make sure everything gets delivered safely.