In New Zealand, pizzas will soon be dropping from the heavens, by drone. Domino’s dream of drone delivery is at hand.
Domino’s demonstrated its ability to deliver food via a drone Thursday in New Zealand and plans to test actual deliveries to customers next month.
“It doesn’t add up to deliver a two kilogram package in a two-ton vehicle,” said Scott Bush, a general manager for Domino’s Pizza Enterprises, which is independent of the U.S. chain and operates in seven countries. “In Auckland, we have such massive traffic congestion it just makes sense to take to the airways.”
A Domino’s customer who requests a drone delivery will receive a notification when their delivery is approaching. After going outside and hitting a button on their smartphone, the drone will lower the food via a tether. Once the package is released, the drone pulls the tether back up and flies back to the Domino’s store.
Initially there may be an extra charge for drone delivery, Bush said, but in the long term he hopes to deliver at no added cost.
Bush said test deliveries to actual customers will begin September 26 out of one Auckland store. The drone flights, powered by American drone company Flirtey, will be automated, but a human will be nearby to supervise. There are limits on how far Domino’s will be able to deliver. New Zealand’s drone rules don’t currently allow a drone to fly farther than the drone’s operator can see, but Domino’s said it’s working with authorities to remove barriers.
Pizza Drone
Up Next
Drones can safely catty about 5.5 pounds.
Domino’s is hoping to expand drone delivery to Australia, Japan, The Netherlands, France, Belgium and Germany.
The US is not on the list.
Concerns
Is this a terrorist’s dream come true?
People have pointed out terrorist implications of self-driving cars, but right now, someone could load a car with explosives, park the car and detonate it later. Not much has changed recently.
Drones would appear to be another concern. They are smaller, cheaper, and can go to any spot. Can they pack enough explosives?
Here’s a video that allegedly shows 4.5 pounds of C4 blowing up a bus.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
Presumably, they are driverless?
If not, why?
Yes, I see automated with help available if needed.
So, how will it get to apt #302? The Elevator?
drone son: drone daddy, where did i come from?
drone daddy: the stork drone.
Once again , they’re implying weather won’t matter? Sounds like a whole lotta “pie in the sky” to me.
Forget pizza and bombs…. Central Blanks can use drones to deliver helicopter money.
Are you suggesting that if there is a potential terrorist application for a new technology, then that’s a fear-mongering argument for not developing it, or trying to ban it, or otherwise imposing some regulatory regime? If so, say so. If not, then please spare us the exploding bus scare tactic.
I’m a fairly regular reader, and I have to say this type of thing should be beneath you, unless I completely misunderstand your purpose with respect to showing an exploding bus without actually making a point.
I thought Mish made that clear with the bus video. When I read they can carry over 5 pounds, I wondered how many granades that would be. It’s not scare mongering. It’s called thinking.
Nothing wrong with thinking. But I disagree that it’s not scare-mongering, intentional or otherwise. And the thing that bugs me about it is that that’s all he did with that exploding bus video. He didn’t actually make a point that could be debated. People see the exploding bus and think, “this will empower terrorists to new heights of horror. We need to regulate the hell out of it.”
I’m actually a bit surprised, because Mish in general is no friend of over-regulation. He must know that just showing a video like that without being clear what his intention is in doing so has the effect scaring people and providing a rationale for stifling a technology with regulation.
The point that can be debated is whether or not drones for delivery are coming or not. I don’t know. It would seem logical they are, but they are also an easy way to deliver bombs. I fail to see how regulation can possibly fix that.
Dear terrorists “please register your drones” is not likely to work. If hundreds or thousands of these things are flying all over the place, how do you control where they go. I suspect they would not be allowed around the white house, pentagon, etc, but what happens if one flies there anyway?
Do we need anti-drone drones to shoot down unauthorized drones?
I would like to believe there is an answer, but I fail to see one.
Self driving cars is easy. Cars will have to stick to roads. Technology can and will easily overcome snow, fog, etc. But drones offer a near perfect bomb delivery prospect, that I cannot work out a way around.
Maybe terrorism vanishes, or we just learn to live with the threat. The latter is certainly possible.
I presume the drone won’t let you steal it by yanking down the tether. Or getting yourself hurt by reeling in a spinning drone propeller array. One answer to the bomb delivery problem is tight monitoring of who can access the 3D mapping databases drones can’t operate without. I’m pretty sure a thorough big brother knowledge of who is doing what with drones and robocars will take the fun out of being a terrorist. They will be hating drones a lot more than they are liking and using them. Same for robocars with locking doors under police control. Expect hand delivery of bullets and bombs in our future.
A future generation of drones will not need the 3D map but simply a GPS coordinate. It will figure out how to get there on route. Moreover what it learns it will remember for next time and may sell the info to Amazon for their delivery drones.
Sure. But government will know who bought that drone. How that drone is licensed for use. Can stop that drone with an over ride transmission. Can bug that drone and record everything it hears. And on and on. My advice to terrorists. Leave the drones alone they’re dangerous but not the way you might think.
Not true. You can buy drone parts, FPV equipment, blanks, and tailor a drone to do 25 miles virtual visual flight on private UHF, or more using phone network. Parts might or might not be tracked after use. Would need draconian legislation to change that. Even if you banned drone use it would not be a barrier, you would need to set up a drone ATC radar system and jamming equipment across the country, and even that would not be complete. Amateurs would likely get caught eventually.
As Mish points out, a car can be packed with explosives and driven to destination nowadays. It happens. People carry explosives by foot too. It happens.
So what is the difference with remote delivery?
Ask why the military uses remote delivery, in various ways… anything that is as effective and reduces risk. That makes each person more effective.
One person could post fifty explosives at once from their centre, instead of driving one and being caught. Security features are never foolproof.
When I say tracked after use, I mean traced from the remains of the drone.
Thank you for the warnings, Mish. The purpose of your blog is to make us think. Retail drone deliveries are certainly related to economy. All apropos. As usual, good job.
Like I’ve said many times before, be careful what you wish for, you technology geeks.
Personally, I’d be happy to return to the rotary dial phone.
New doesn’t automatically mean improved or in our best interests.
What an irritating development. Drones delivering pizzas buzzing around the skies? If I lived in Auckland, I’d be pissed.
I have two large maple trees that extend over both front ans side walks and most of the front yard including city sidewalks. Where is the drone going to leave my pizza? Do I have to climb for it?
If I ever see one of those damn things hovering over my home I will consider it a threat and take appropriate action.
When you spot obvious lies, you know the whole thing is just an attempt at free publicity.
Their *reasons* are avoiding ground traffic or wasting gas. Yet the drone has to be in operator sight at all times. That means the delivery is easily within walking distance. It takes longer to set up the drone than to just walk over. And who the hell is calling for pizza delivery within walking distance of the store?
The final proof is they need to charge more for a drone delivery, which is supposedly more efficient.
Common sense is becoming far less than common on this site.
Reblogged this on The Most Revolutionary Act and commented:
*
*
A terrorist’s dream come true.
So few drones, so many infidels. Meanwhile, at Dominos, the birds attack the pizza pizzas in mid air, the same way they dive bomb and rip open garbage bags on the side of my garage.
ISIS has already been using drones in Syria and Iraq. That ship has sailed. And thank Allah that terrorists will strictly follow the rules about not letting their drones get out of sight. Sporting of them.
It is just a publicity stunt. It will never happen due to the aviation restrictions but it is an easy way to get free advertising for Dominos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSdKD_aKAO4
Firtey is actually Australian. One of the guys in video is Simon Bridges, an MP in NZ. I suspect he has connections with Matt, the other guy in the video who is the founder of the company.
It is just a publicity stunt. It will never happen. The aviation restrictions don’t allow it but it is an easy way to get free advertising for Dominos. I am surprised so many people fall for this kind of thing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSdKD_aKAO4
Firtey is actually Australian. One of the guys in video is Simon Bridges, an MP in NZ.
How does the food stay warm?
More stupidity…
– Pizza sky delivery
– Mass adoption of driver-less car nonsense
– The moon-landings
Two might happen, one never did….and never will
Inevitably someone will try to pull the drone out of the sky after getting the pizza. The fool will be caught on camera and immediately be arrested.
come on Mish. why are you trying to totally discredit your website publishing this sort of garbage?
What about..babies?
http://www.supercartoons.net/cartoon/948/rocket-bye-baby.html