There’s something fun going on in China.
Drone technology is growing steadily, and this week they are trying out their own food delivery system. This week the Alibaba Company owned food delivery service Ele.me received green light from the government.
This approval can be a great way to transition food delivery in China from the conventional methods (cars, motorcycles, etc.) to drones. Drone delivery has a lot of upsides. Drones do not congest traffic, nor do they get caught in one. Meaning your order arrives without delays. Manpower also decreases, since most of them are automated.
China Takeout Food Delivery:
The approval involves the use of drones to deliver fast food in the Jinshan Industrial Park. Located in Shanghai, the Park will serve as hosts and tryouts for the drone deliveries. The approval involved 17 routes in the area, where people can order takeout food while autonomous unmanned drones will deliver.
The area of approval covers about nearly 60 square kilometers of the park. This could be the test the system needs in order to check for flaws or limitations. Range for example can receive estimates, since the area is a bit large. Air traffic and congestion in general in an urban setting can test the drones’ capability to adjust.
The interesting thing about this drone delivery system is that there’s no one shop to order from. Unlike Pizza places like Domino’s that offer drone delivery, this one involves over a hundred restaurants in the area. This means you can order from any one of them, and the drone delivery service is still available. With over a hundred shops to choose from, this can be an interesting field test for the drones.
Another offer from the Ele.me food delivery is that your order arrives in under 20 minutes. In such a large area, this can be a great way for people to try out the service. The service is still in its roots however, and you may expect to see flaws at launch. But hey, it is food delivered to your doorstep by a flying robot.
What’s not to love?
