Hacker News Reader

Comment by prein | Hacker News Reader

I didn't even know they were using delivery drones yet. Why did they both crash, were they working in tandem carrying one payload or something?

View on HN

The local Walmart nearest me has also started using drone delivery using Zipline drones. It's not a store I frequent, but recently drove past and the landing/launching site has a very unique look to it. At first thought, I thought it was a small carnival type of set up, but realized the rides looked really weird. There's large towers that remind me of the sculptures in Singapore near the ship on stilts building. I just perused Zipline's website hoping to find some imagery, but the site is clearly focused on promotional aspects with happy people receiving packages. zzzzzz.

https://www.zipline.com/

Zipline drones fly quite high, and instead of descending and landing to deliver their payload, they hover at altitude and lower a "delivery pod" down on a wire. The pod also has maneuvering capabilities, but all of its thrusters are fully enclosed, and it's designed to not cause any damage even it if collides with something during descent or ascent. Overall, a very clever design that should be safer, create no noise on ground level, and be able to deliver into much smaller and more confined landing zones.

Sure, but it's the launch/landing site that is in question. It's not just a helipad set up. It's very sci-fi looking and looks very complicated. I'm wondering if the drone itself lands at the top and then lowers the pod for loading to keep them out of reach of the employees. Probably even touted as a safety feature. I just haven't seen the system in operation, and their website just ignores this part as it's not something necessary for marketing.

There is a bunch of videos on Youtube on Zipline, some of them from the company itself (this one showing specifically the "platform": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=airEzThGlx8), and some from various tech people looking into the whole thing (like Markus Brownlee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88yQTzlmsiA). Probably a better overall source of into than their website.

That is so cool :)

And it looks much safer than Amazon's approach of directly landing the heavy drone in your garden.

That first video you linked confirmed my suspicions. thanks

I was thinking maybe they used the same route planning system, so their routes were identical.

I'd laugh pretty hard if the second one was an automatic redelivery attempt.

"Something went wrong with the drone. Send another!"

If an amazon delivery drone uses the same route as a truck, what's the point of the drone? As a crow flies would be the point to be as direct as possible.

Edit: Nevermind. I'm not awake yet. this logic does not compute. please ignore

Without knowing anything about their routing, I think grandparent is saying they likely were on the same vector, perhaps same destination.

wow, your interpretation is much better than whatever went through my head. i'm going with too early in the morning. not enough coffee.

Been using them for years, I got a package by drone the other day.

Yeah but it’s in a pretty limited zone IIRC. Just some states and areas have it, and it’s definitely not yet a common practice.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com