The encyclopedia · Product & Design · Product decision · 2019-2020s
Wing's drones hover and lower parcels on a tether so no landing is needed
Wing's autonomous drones lower a package on a tether to the doorstep, flying over roads to make short, direct local deliveries.
Wing (Google / Alphabet)
the move
In dense suburbs a courier's road route is far longer than the straight line between a store and a home, and every order burns fuel and time in traffic.
Wing, an Alphabet company, built autonomous fixed-wing drones that carry parcels between small networks of nests and deliver directly to nearby homes.
At the drop point the drone hovers and winches the parcel down on a tether, so it can reach a yard or doorstep without needing a landing zone, then retracts and flies off.
That lets a local business, pharmacy or grocer reach households in minutes rather than a van's drive.
why it works
- A drone takes the straight-line route, cutting the road distance.
- The tether solves the where-does-it-land problem, so delivery works on ordinary homes.
- Small autonomous aircraft replace a van for one parcel, lowering emissions per drop.
- Nest-based networks concentrate maintenance and charging, keeping the aircraft local.
what transfers
When the road trip is long but the straight line is short, fly the line and lower the box.
what came after
Wing grew across Australia, the US and Europe, delivering from local shops, pharmacies and grocers, and made the tether-drop drone a model for delivery where a landing zone is impossible.
references
- How curbside pickup caused Wing to rethink its approach to drone delivery
- 'The network effect': Google drone nests set their sights on suburbs
spotted an error? The archive wants to know.