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Drone Delivery a Reality in 2017

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Introduction (PVC) Drones, Robots and Machines at the service of humans was an idea many baby boomers only read in science fiction (fantasy) magazines. Stories of incredible heroes such as Kaliman, Spencer Tracy and others opened the eye and the imagination of many young people in the late 40’s of a wonderful future when machines could serve humans. For many of you reading this article, the utilization of robots that indirectly benefit you by tirelessly joining parts of the automobile you drive everyday, or assembling the mobile phone you have in your pocket is nothing new. The image of a robot in action may never cross your mind, however, the fact does not make you marvel as it did in the late 40s. The distance between the days when boys played with small paperboard boxes mimicking a radio- transmitter to this date when drones are finally delivering merchandise to people in some cities across the United States is a very long distance. It may not be a long distance in years, but it certainly is a very long distance in technological achievement and in our social makeup. One of the main questions in this area is this: Are you ready to interact with a robot? The word “Interact” means to be in the proximity of a robot, to give the robot instructions or to depend on the robot performance to accomplish you very own tasks at the office. “Interact” could also mean that a robot will be your office partner or your warehouse personal assistant. All points to this direction to make this a reality. Is this an intimidating thought? In the case of the machine we are presenting in this article, are you ready to open the door of your house and receive a package from a drone? Are you going to feel the desire to say ‘thank you’ to the drone? Is this the beginning of the wonderful future we did seek from the past, where machines become an integral part of our daily experience? What do you think about it? Drone Delivery - This Starship Will Deliver: Sidewalk Drones Now Legal In Several States BY MIRIAM MCNABB The first practical drone delivery – one that is already legal and can be used on a broad scale – won’t be flying to your door, despite the name.  The Starship Technologies robot is six wheeled sidewalk drone. Starship, founded and funded by Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, the brains behind communications giant Skype, calls the drone a “personal courier.”  The drone is designed to roll along the sidewalk and deliver small parcels in 15 – 30 minutes; covering a 2 -3 mile radius.   At about knee-high,  they travel at about 4 mph. Sensors and cameras provide sense-and-avoid technology, allowing the drones to avoid obstacles in their path.  When the robot arrives at the customer’s house, a button on the app will open it, preventing theft along the route. Unlike flying drones, these robots are now legal to operate in several states. Virginia, the first to specifically allow sidewalk drones, has just passed SB1207 – effective July 1 – which states that the drones will not be classed as vehicles but will be allowed on sidewalks, paths, and crosswalks.  Drones must weigh less than 50 pounds and speed must be limited to 10 mph or slower; drones must be monitored remotely by drone operators. Starship and San Francisco-based food delivery service DoorDash have already signed an agreement for a pilot program:  DoorDash will use the personal couriers to deliver food in Redwood City; delivery service Postmates will use the couriers in Washington, D.C. “With DoorDash’s goal of building the local logistics layer for every city, we have a clear shared passion with Starship for revolutionizing last mile delivery,” said Stanley Tang, DoorDash’s co-founder and chief product officer. “By adding robots as a complement to the tens of thousands of Dashers who use the DoorDash platform, we’ll be able to better delight customers with faster, more convenient deliveries.” While Starship’s sidewalk drones aren’t the super fast flying drone delivery that companies like Amazon hope for, it may be a step in the right direction.  As consumers become accustomed to seeing unmanned vehicles in their neighborhoods – and states get used to writing laws to accommodate them – flying drones may not seem like such a big step after all. Other Articles About Robots And You Are You Ready for a Robot Colleague? Human-Robot Interaction Regulation and Entrainment in Human-Robot Interaction

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