Zipline, pioneers in medical drone delivery, have expanded their services to offer delivery of consumer goods in the US. The company recently received a ground-breaking waiver from the FAA to provide drone delivery services flying beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the pilot. The waiver offers significant opportunities to make drone delivery more commercially viable for partners and consumers.
For Mendocino Farms, offering upscale sandwich and salad items, drone delivery offers an opportunity to delivery food at optimal freshness – not cold and late. “Zipline designed its P2 system to solve this problem for partners like Mendocino Farms. With Zipline, guests will place their favorite order and track its progress in real-time on their phone,” says a Zipline blog post. “Once the kitchen loads the order, the P2 Zip will take off and fly to their home hassle-free, with no traffic or disruptions. Just a few minutes later (under 10 minutes for deliveries 10 miles away), the Zip will arrive at its destination and hover safely and quietly high up in the sky, while its fully autonomous droid descends on a tether, steers to the correct location, and gently drops off its package to an area as small as a patio table or the front steps of a home.”
For products like food delivery, drones are ideal – and more efficient and eco-friendly than delivery cars. “Based on Zipline’s analysis, each flight today creates up to 97% fewer emissions than traditional delivery services, with zero tailpipe pollution,” says the release.
“There’s a lot of work that happens between when a guest orders their food and when they take that first delicious bite. By working with Zipline, we’re making it faster and more convenient to Eat Happy wherever you are,” said Kevin Miles, CEO of Mendocino Farms. “Zipline delivery provides an exceptional, sustainable experience we’re thrilled to bring to our guests.”
Participating Mendocino Farms stores will add Zipline docks, which will allow team members to load orders without leaving their station for smooth and efficient workflows. “Zipline’s team worked closely alongside the restaurants to learn and understand workflows and build an efficient system that works seamlessly in even the busiest kitchens. The system is more convenient for staff than a drive-thru window and requires less training.”
Mendocino Farms will use Zipline’s APIs to integrate the service into their existing ordering channels and POS system, enabling easy online ordering, real-time order and trend tracking, and workflows that make sense for their team. This means minimal training for team members, while giving their team a complete picture of their delivery operations.
Zipline and Mendocino Farms will share more about the rollout as it approaches.
Read more:
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
TWITTER:@spaldingbarker
Subscribe to DroneLife here.