Drone deliveries may finally become a reality.
Wing, Alphabet’s drone delivery startup, has announced it will launch a trial-run of its service in Finland in spring 2019.
The initial run will take place in Helsinki and offer 10 minute deliveries of items weighing up to 3.3 pounds on a round trip of up to 20 miles. The company is currently collecting more information from residents on its website, such as what people would like to see delivered by the service.
The options that Wing has made available include over-the-counter medication, groceries, emergency essentials such as diapers and ice scrapers, as well as breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Deliveries made during the trial run will be free.
The drone delivery startup has been running a similar trial in Australia for the past 18 months. However, Wing notes that weather conditions in Finland will make for a brand new challenge
“Based on what we know about the winter weather in Finland, we're pretty confident that if our drones can deliver here, they can deliver anywhere!” said Wing in its announcement.
Wing’s most notable competitor, Amazon Prime Air, has also previously run tests of its drone delivery service in Europe. However, when it comes to a broad drone delivery service, it’s now clear Amazon won’t meet the 5-year deadline Jeff Bezos set in 2013.
It remains to be seen how far out we are from a widespread service from Wing, Amazon Air Prime, or drone delivery company.
Topics Drones
