Alphabet cleared for testing drone deliveries in USA

Alphabet cleared for testing drone deliveries in USA
HIGHLIGHTS

A week after Amazon received same clearance for drone deliveries in UK.

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has received clearance from the White House, United States of America, to test its proposed drone deliveries in select areas of the country. The decision is one of the most prominent ones in the US National Science Foundation’s recent $35 million investment declaration in research of unmanned flights. These tests, to be conducted by Google, will contribute to making drones easier and safer for inspection or rescue missions.

Part of Alphabet’s Project Wing, delivery drones aim to bring sellers an upper hand on delivery times and attract more customers. Aerial deliveries promise shorter times and lesser manual labour. The Federal Aviation Administration had previously eased rules regarding commonplace drone usage but refrained from allowing commercial permit. With the new declaration by the White House, the near future holds promise for small, commercial aerial drones to find commonplace application among stores and e-retailers.

Amazon was one of the first movers in this sector, conceptualising drone deliveries via Amazon Prime Air delivery system in 2013. In response, Alphabet (then Google) started Project Wing in 2014, to form its own fleet of drone delivery system. Only last week, Amazon announced its clearance to test drone deliveries in the United Kingdom, and Alphabet’s clearance to test drones for commercial purposes in the USA may match the timeline by which Amazon intends to begin full-fledged drone delivery systems. Google intends to roll out its services by next year, setting up an example by when people may expect such services.

In India, drone deliveries may not be as readily implemented as in other nations like the UK and USA. For one, the country is yet to adapt smart technology on a large scale, and smart cities are still on the rise. The internet scape of the country is still taking shape, and recreational drone usage is still on its nascent stages. Drone deliveries, to presume, may take as long as two to three years to concretely formulate.

Digit NewsDesk

Digit NewsDesk

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