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Wing, a subsidiary company under Alphabet, Googles parent company, is testing a new range of drone aircraft. These aircraft can handle a much broader spectrum of cargo. The new drones will have some pieces/parts in common with their predecessors that are delivering packages right now.
Adam Woodworth, CEO of Wing, is trying to create a large range of craft that would be able to have package sizes matched to craft. This would allow for more flexibility, in this case, a one size fits all does not makes sense. According to Woodworth:
“The ideal aircraft to carry a bottle of medication is not the same as the one to deliver a gallon of milk.”
Wings current line up includes their smallest drone capable of carrying a half pound bottle. While the largest, in this prototype phase, are able to carry seven pounds worth of cargo.
The seven pound capacity would greatly expand the cargo capacity of Wing’s fleet. The current top payload drone can only carry a 2.5 pound capacity. According to previous Amazon CEO Jeff Wilke, over three quarters of Amazon’s deliveries are five pounds or less.
Currently, Alphabet’s Wing is operating in a very small region of the United States as it tests the technology. Wing is partnered with several major U.S. based companies such as Walgreens, Easyvet, Blue Bell Creameries, and Texas Health. As of right now there is no public plan for the roll out of Wings drones for public use.
Source: Thomasnet
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