Walmart has launched a pilot version of an on-demand drone-delivery service for grocery and household essentials in North Carolina.
The retail giant on Wednesday announced a partnership with end-to-end drone-delivery company Flytrex. Those who live in Fayetteville, North Carolina will be able to test the program by requesting delivery via a drone.
“We know that it will be some time before we see the millions of packages distributed through drones. It still feels like a bit of science fiction, but we’re at a point where we’re learning more and more about the technology that’s available, and we use it to make our customers’ lives easier. How can we do it, ”Tom Ward wrote. , Walmart’s senior vice president of customer product in the announcement.
Flytrex drones are controlled on the cloud and employ a user-friendly control dashboard. According to the company’s website, the drone can operate at a top speed of 32 miles per hour at 230 miles and can carry up to 6.6 pounds. Flytrax’s drones are a part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Pilot Program.
The Walmart announcement comes on the heels of Amazon’s Prime Air drone delivery plan, a part 135 air carrier certificate issued by the FAA last week. Amazon expects FAA certification to lead the delivery of Amazon Prime packages by drones to customers’ doors within hours of ordering.
FAA Google-owned Wing and UPS had previously allowed their separate drone delivery programs to be taken to the next level. Wing and UPS’s programs focus on delivering over-the-counter medicine or prescription medication from Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy to customers’ homes, respectively.
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