Today’s system of purchasing products is amazing. Anything you want – from clothes, to food, or even furniture – all can be acquired by a simple press of a button. Online shopping has been evolving. The timeframe between buying and actually getting the product has been shorter and shorter. One time we had to wait weeks – or months even – to get something we purchased online. Now we have to wait mere days, if not hours, and the product we oh so craved was right in front of us. Delivery has been the key selling point when it comes to the world of online shopping. Every online retailer has been competing to get as close to that feeling of instant gratification that shoppers chase.
Most online stores have slowly – but steadily – started adopting the use of drones as their main delivery method. Items from food like takeout orders, pizza deliveries, and entire groceries even; to items purchased from retailers online like bags, shoes, and clothes; drone delivery has been gradually becoming the norm and a major selling point for online shopping. Places like Amazon for instance has been at the forefront of this technological feat, and others have been following their lead when it comes to these buzzing machines.
Efficiency and time factors were always a concern both from the consumer and producer’s end. No longer do consumers have to wait eons to get their products purchased online. No longer do problems like traffic or unreliable road directions be the case of frustration for clients. The days of the old cargo delivery and distribution – either by land or sea-based transportation – is nearing its end. The old ways certainly had their problems. Cargo drones seem to provide the answer to everyone’s question when it comes to efficiency and speed.
A notch above your average drone, these cargo drones can carry a large amount of weight beneath them. Autonomous and strong, these heavy-duty quadcopters are expected to carry up to quarter-of-a-ton worth of cargo, leaving little room for doubt when it comes to their transport capabilities.
Boeing revealed the prototype for their unmanned cargo drone last January 10th, with their aim to further the capabilities of these drones in terms of autonomy and electric propulsion. Boeing HorizonX vice president Steve Nordlund had this to say on the drone: “Our new CAV prototype builds on Boeing’s existing unmanned systems capabilities and presents new possibilities for autonomous cargo delivery, logistics and other transportation applications. The safe integration of unmanned aerial systems is vital to unlocking their full potential. Boeing has an unmatched track record, regulatory know-how and systematic approach to deliver solutions that will shape the future of autonomous flight.”
These drones are powered by an environmentally-friendly electric propulsion system and eight counter rotating blades to carry it off the ground. The prototype measured 15 feet long (4.57 meters), 18 feet wide (5.49 meters) and 4 feet tall (1.22 meters), and weighed 747 pounds (339 kilograms).
