Indian food search and delivery startup Zomato have successfully tested aerial food delivery by using a drone. In a blog post by a senior company executive, it has been revealed that the test was conducted using a hybrid drone. It was conducted as a part of Zomato’s attempt at reducing the time taken to deliver food to customers. While in its initial stage, the service is expected to be more mainstream and may roll out in the following months.
Zomato Aerial Food Delivery
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As mentioned above, Zomato has successfully tested food delivery via a drone. The news arrives a few months after the company acquired the Indian drone startup called TechEagle. In the blog post, it is claimed the teams of both companies worked together for the test. The drone covered a distance of 5kms in a time period of 10 minutes; with a peak speed of 80kmph while carrying a payload of 5kgs. As it was a non-commercial delivery, it is not known where the drone dropped off the package. According to Zomato, when the service is ready, the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) will pick up the food package from the restaurant hub; and drop the package at a customer hub, which will be a landing station close to dense communities. To fly back, the drone will use a mix of various flight modes to navigate to the dispatch site.
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To fly a drone in India currently, a slew of permissions from the government is required. Zomato claims it is forming a consortium as per the guidelines of the DGCA (Director General of Civil Aviation); to carry out remote drone operations in India. The company is also looking forward to solving issues like pollution and traffic by using a drone for food delivery. Unfortunately, it is not known when the service will start rolling out commercially, but the successful test insinuates it may be introduced soon.
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