RENO(NEVADA): A drone has successfully delivered a package to a residential location in a Nevada town in what its maker and the state’s governor said Friday was the first fully autonomous urban drone delivery in the U.S.
Flirtey CEO Matt Sweeney said the six-rotor drone flew about a half-mile along a pre-programmed delivery route on March 10 and lowered the package outside a vacant residence in Hawthorne.
The route was established using GPS. A pilot and visual observers were on standby during the flight but weren’t needed, Sweeney said.
He said the package included bottled water, food and a first-aid kit.
NASA is working with the drone industry and the Federal Aviation Administration on a low-altitude air traffic control system to prevent crashes involving drones and other low-altitude aircraft. Nevada is one of six states the FAA has designated as unmanned aircraft systems test sites.
“This was by far one of the most successful (unmanned aircraft systems) operations we ran and represents an advanced level of test and development … by Flirtey,” said Chris Walach, director of operations for the FAA-designated Nevada site.