Wing's New Drone Delivery Network Is Like Ridesharing

Trisha Kae Andrada, Tech Times 09 March 2023, 01:03 pm

Wing, a drone delivery service, has introduced a new technology allowing its drones to autonomously accept pickup and delivery assignments in rapid succession without checking in with a central hub.

This feature is part of the firm's new Wing Delivery Network, a distributed logistics system that can seamlessly distribute tasks to a group of drones operating in a city.

Wing is a drone delivery company owned by Alphabet, Google's parent company.

The Wing Delivery Network

According to Verge, the components of the Wing Delivery Network are the drones themselves, the landing pads where they may take off and land when required, and the Autoloader stations. The autoloaders are placed in the stores' parking lots so that workers can quickly and easily load a completed order.

There would be no need to wait for anybody else if an accessible drone came and lowered a line to retrieve it.

In a corporate blog post, Wing CEO Adam Woodworth notes that the company's ultimate goal is to use an automated logistics system that "moves packages by the millions" to complete parcel deliveries. In his opinion, the business is too preoccupied with drones itself and not doing enough to harness a whole fleet for effective delivery.

For Wing, delivery is more about creating an efficient data network than a transportation infrastructure, as stated by Woodworth.

Just Like 'Rideshare'

Woodworth compares Wing Delivery Network to ridesharing in a new video. He explained that customers request a trip from the closest resource rather than waiting for a particular resource to arrive.

Woodworth adds that several stores have already set up the necessary curbside pickup infrastructure, making it possible to set up Autoloaders there.

When the shipment is ready, a worker will bring it out to the pickup area and secure it to the drone. The readily fitted loaders enable drones to move from a pickup to a drop off to another pickup, with the system choosing the best route.

TechCrunch said it is indeed comparable to ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft that find nearby drivers and customers for rides.

Several hubs in a single city serve as charging stations for flying vehicles before they move on to their next destination. Delivering smaller cargoes in this way is more efficient than utilizing ground vehicles, especially given that they are often bigger and less eco-friendly options.

The business is now working on bigger drones, although its existing drones have a payload capacity of just approximately three pounds.

Wing has built command centers where humans can keep tabs on autonomous drones using satellite imagery. Current service areas include Texas, Virginia, and Australia; clients include Walgreens and Doordash.

Wing delivers 1,000 parcels a day to over 100,000 individuals. Wing promises to handle "tens of millions of deliveries" for millions of consumers cheaper than ground deliveries by mid-2024.