Silicon
Valley
is
getting
its
first
drone
delivery
service
to
airdrop
food
and
commercial
items
to
local
homes,
though
only
the
bare
essentials
(chocolate
and
Prime-branded
drinks)
are
available
right
now.
California-based
Matternet
is
launching
a
pilot
program
for
its
delivery
service
in
Mountain
View
and
Sunnyvale,
California,
over
two
years
after
receiving
Federal
Aviation
Administration
approval
for
its
Model
M2
drone.
The
delivery
platform
uses
a
variant
of
the
M2
drone
—
currently
the
only
non-military
drone
certified
by
the
FAA
for
deliveries
in
the
US,
according
to
Matternet
—
which
is
equipped
with
a
tether
drop
system
to
lower
packages
down
to
customers’
homes.
Matternet
says
the
delivery
process
is
fully
automated
and
that
the
drones
can
return
to
a
central
hub
to
swap
their
battery
and
collect
a
new
package
“in
under
60
seconds.”
“It
is
so
fast,
it
feels
like
magic,”
Matternet
CEO
Andreas
Raptopoulos
said
in
a
press
release,
touting
the
drone
service
as
a
means
to
lower
congestion
and
emissions
in
cities
by
reducing
dependency
on
cars.
Matternet
is
planning
to
further
expand
by
collaborating
with
“major
logistics
partners.”
Residents
in
Mountain
View
and
Sunnyvale
can
sign
up
to
participate
in
the
pilot
here.
Deliveries
are
only
available
between
12–6PM
on
Monday,
Thursday,
and
Friday,
and
it’s
unclear
when
the
limited
item
selection
will
be
expanded
or
when
other
regions
can
expect
to
receive
the
service.
(Originally posted by Jess Weatherbed)
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