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Alphabet's Wing Is Bringing Drone Delivery To Texas This Week (techcrunch.com) 44

Posted by BeauHD from the what-to-expect dept.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Wing this morning announced that it is adding Texas to its list of drone delivery markets. On April 7, the Alphabet-owned operation will be arriving in Frisco and Little Elm, a pair of towns in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. The primary partner is Walgreens, where drones will be picking up health and wellness products. Also on the list is easyvet for pet meds, Texas Health, which provides first aid kits, and Blue Bell Creameries, which is dropping off ice cream as summer looms. Upon launch, the offerings will be available to select customers via invite.

"I do want to set clear expectations: Not everyone who lives within range of our drones will be able to order on Day 1," says CEO Adam Woodworth. "We're going to invite customers in groups to make sure everyone has a good first experience with drone delivery." Frisco and Little Elm become the second U.S. market and fifth overall currently being served by Wing. They join Christiansburg, Virginia; Helsinki, Finland; and Canberra and Logan, Australia. The pilots are still fairly limited, as Wing grapples with regulations and other roadblocks, though early last month it announced that it had made its 200,000th delivery.
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Alphabet's Wing Is Bringing Drone Delivery To Texas This Week More

Alphabet's Wing Is Bringing Drone Delivery To Texas This Week

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  • ...people start seeing these drones in the air as robotic "skeet" and start picking them off for fun?

    • ...people start seeing these drones in the air as robotic "skeet" and start picking them off for fun?

      Sooner, rather than later, when residents learn they're coming from Walgreens... on the outside chance there's some painkillers onboard.

    • that drone can on to my property

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by quenda ( 644621 )

      ...people start seeing these drones in the air as robotic "skeet" and start picking them off for fun?

      By "people" you mean Texans, right? I hate these stereotypes.
      Not every Texan has cowboy boots and a shotgun in the back of his pickup truck, praisin' Jesus to country music.
      Some of them live in Austin.

      • By "people" you mean Texans, right? I hate these stereotypes.

        Actually, no, my comment really had nothing to do with Texas in particular.

        I'm from the south, but I was just thinking broadly, in general anywhere in the US.

        I mean, you can travel most anywhere and on roads that are more rural, you seen bullet holes in road signs, etc....

        I was just thinking that looking "up" might make for more fun targets for some people.

        Only semi-tongue in cheek.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by quenda ( 644621 )

          Only semi-tongue in cheek.

          Well my reply was totally tongue-in-cheek :-)

          Re the bullet-holes in signs, I think you see that in any country, if you get deeper into rural/remote areas.
          I though the difference in the US was that you see them in cities :-)

          • Re the bullet-holes in signs, I think you see that in any country, if you get deeper into rural/remote areas. I though the difference in the US was that you see them in cities :-)

            If you are in a city and start seeing bullet holes in signs, or anywhere else..you should take that as a sign that you have somehow crossed into the wrong section of town, and you should get out of there quickly.

      • Whenever these drones start buzzing over my property, a lot of mysterious accidents will start to happen.
        I am no Texan, but like some peace and quiet in my garden now and then.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by DVK9 ( 9481479 )
        Austin... You might as well said San Francisco which is the city Austin looks up to. You are right most of us do not wear boots and hats and pluck wheat to chew on. We do love our motorized toys and our weapons. We do love huntin doves and other game birds and I can see several folks thinkin that them there drones make for good target practice.
    • Well, while this stage is being done in Texas, it is being done in an affluent outer tier suburb. The folks are generally not worried about alien cattle mutilations, and are as likely to own consumer drones or toy quad copters as anyone. (Maybe almost as likely as they are to own guns). So as long as the drones do not go north of the city limits, and as long as they don't go hovering outside somebody's bedroom window too long, the drones are probably relatively safe. And certainly firing off a gun in town i

      • And certainly firing off a gun in town is going to be illegal absent a self defense situation. But considering some of the businesses in adjacent areas, there are likely people with the technical knowledge and skills to build a directional EMP generator.

        I was thinking possibly some of todays very powerful air rifles might be what someone uses.

        I don't know that there are any rules against firing these within the city limits...?

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by Zak3056 ( 69287 )

          In most jurisdictions where discharging a firearm is unlawful, it is also unlawful to discharge an airgun.

          With that said, it doesn't really matter--you could use a trebuchet, or throw a rock, (or build the hypothetical directional EMP generator mentioned in the GP post), but in the end, you're still attempting to damage someone else's property, which comes with civil, and usually criminal liability. "Breaking someone else's shit" is frowned upon in polite society regardless of the means you use.

          • Everything you said is correct, but how fucking polite is it to have these loud drones buzzing around my neighborhood? I get they will probably just replace the amazon van that shows up to my neighborhood every day, but that doesn't really make a noticeable noise.

            I have a small drone and it's already kind of loud. These amazon drones will have to be much bigger to carry even a pound or two and that likely means larger blades and more noise. They will have to land fairly close to the ground and then my packa

        • I would have to look up the specific ordinances in those cities, but in the metro areas, air rifles / BB guns are typically grouped in with pistols, shotguns, or bow and arrow. Which also typically means 10+ ac required. I think most of the open space in that area has already been converted to house farm or strip mall. But it is possible air rifles or perhaps even shotguns could be used if someone has enough land and hasn't sold to developers yet. I think hitting a moving drone with a pellet gun would be to

          • I would have to look up the specific ordinances in those cities, but in the metro areas, air rifles / BB guns are typically grouped in with pistols, shotguns, or bow and arrow. Which also typically means 10+ ac required.

            What does "10+ ac" stand for?

            I've never heard of that expression/notation/acronym before...

            Thank you in advance.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      I would assume they have cameras and/or a cellular connection back to HQ, so they can at least monitor the location of each drone and intervene if it encounters issues like getting shot.

      In other words a few people might try it, get arrested and then people will learn not to be morons.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by DVK9 ( 9481479 )
      Umm we are talking Texas here. Bet the first 50 or so will go quickly with the boys says they thought they were in season.
  • It's been a while since I've had to deal with US laws pertaining to drone operation but the federal laws appear pretty strict. I don't understand why the average Joe trying to use his UAV to take video / pictures for a small business has to jump through hoops to get clearance for a shot but a company can send UAVs over populated areas with NO operator line of sight to deliver toothpaste?

    My hope is that these contrary rules will up the field a bit for other small businesses that might rely on UAV footage a

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Zak3056 ( 69287 )

      The operations are conducted under part 135. They're jumping through far more hoops than an "average joe trying to use his UAV to take video / pictures for a small business."

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by kbg ( 241421 )

        I don't see how they can be exempt from the FAA drone laws, since these are obviously UAV and not charter planes. But if this is the case then the next step is obviously for all hobby drone users to form a drone charter organization and apply for the same clearances as Google. Then anyone joining this organization can fly their drone with the same clearance as Google.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Zak3056 ( 69287 )

          I don't see how they can be exempt from the FAA drone laws, since these are obviously UAV and not charter planes.

          They're not. The FAA has provided for drone operations under part 135 [faa.gov].

          But if this is the case then the next step is obviously for all hobby drone users to form a drone charter organization and apply for the same clearances as Google. Then anyone joining this organization can fly their drone with the same clearance as Google.

          You and I have very different definitions of "obviously." [faa.gov]

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by kbg ( 241421 )

            You and I have very different definitions of "obviously." [faa.gov]

            Looks good to me. Just a lot of paperwork and red tape like usual for the FAA. This drone delivery exemption thing could possibly save the hobby from being permanently out of reach for drone hobby users in the US.

    • "... a company can send UAVs over populated areas with NO operator line of sight..."

      I agree. A failure of a drone could kill someone or damage property.

      I think that, after a few failures of drones, drones over populated areas will be made illegal.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Tablizer ( 95088 )

      Because 9/11 made everyone paranoid.

      TX would probably ban them if you told them Bill Gates and Disney are part owners of the drone co. (I don't know if that's true, but it doesn't matter.)

  • These communities are in the flight approach and takeoff paths for DFW and DAL airports, both busy all day long with over 346,000 flights/year between them. I don't think this is a good idea.

  • Gundam Wing [fandom.com]? Will they be slugging it out with other drones?
    • Nothing like, especially after Alpha company let go of its robo-dog division. I'm just a bit surprised the drones really have wings, so it's not your usual 4-blade toy helicopter. But guess since it's Texas, you have to think big and not just next-door door-to-door.

  • Please regulate noise pollution to address this particular activity. I do not want to live in a neighborhood that sounds like bees and wasps are constantly swarming day and night. The disposable income + consumerism + instant gratification already produces a lot of delivery trucks around many residential neighborhoods.

    Things off the to of my head:
    Require a special permit.
    Highest dB a single device can make.
    Highest dB at a particular distance to device.
    Max average dB per delivery.
    Similar dB restriction of

  • I wonder why they chose to pilot in Texas, instead of their headquarters? Hmmm. What could it be...

  • "Not everyone who lives within range of our drones will be able to order on Day 1,"

    By that we mean, if you live in an area where parcels are routinely stolen, we won't risk our drone being stolen with the parcel.

  • I don't want a drone. Do they have to deliver one to me?

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