"Ultra-fast delivery" that delivers within 15 minutes of ordering has expanded in New York, and commercial delivery by drone has also started.

■ "Ultra-fast delivery", which delivers at an astonishing speed within 15 minutes of ordering, is expanding in Manhattan, New York.

The startup Ultrafast Delivery is a densely populated metropolis where delivery staff use electric bicycles to deliver from dark stores to user homes and offices.

On the other hand, Wal-Mart, the largest chain store, has started super-fast delivery within 30 minutes from the order in a region like "Potsun to Ikken" where people do not live.

On the 18th, Wal-Mart launched on-demand home delivery by autonomous airplane in partnership with drone development Zipline.

By using a motor glider that is more resistant to bad weather and has a shorter delivery time than conventional rotary wing drones, we will promote ultra-fast air transportation in difficult-to-access countryside and disaster areas.

The location of the drone delivery hub airport is the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market (240 Slack St. Pea Ridge AR 72751) in the Pea Ridge district, less than 20 minutes drive northeast of Bentonville, Arkansas, where the headquarters are located. ..

The design is such that the zipline delivery machine takes off from the launch pad installed 25 feet (about 7.5 meters) higher than the store.

This courier is a glider-like airplane with 3.4 meters of wings, powered by a propeller at the top of the fuselage. It is also equipped with an auxiliary propeller to ensure safety.

Zipline's ultra-fast delivery can reach speeds of up to 80 mph. However, it can carry up to 4 pounds (about 1.8 kg).

Unlike rotary-wing drones, which allow the wings to continue to rotate and stay in place, fixed-wing zipline drone delivery does not allow "hovering" to stop in the air.

Therefore, the hatch on the bottom of the drone's body will open and the parachute will be dropped on the ordered item.

According to Zipline, the target accuracy for dropping is "two parking spaces." In other words, we are aiming to develop in rural areas and rural areas rather than in big cities and suburbs.

Zipline delivery machines do not have the propulsive force to slide and take off, so a launch pad as a launch pad is indispensable. Therefore, it is necessary to install the launch pad on a hub of 7 meters or more.

The landing of the courier catches the drone in the shape of a slingshot known in Japan as a slingshot. Put the cables on the two towers and hook the cables on the hooks under the tail.

In an emergency landing, the glider will open the parachute and land. It adopts a fragile design that takes into consideration that the aircraft will be damaged by parachute landing, and most of the aircraft is occupied by inexpensive parts such as Styrofoam that can be easily replaced.

How to use ultra-fast air transportation will be ordered from the Zipline app. Wal-Mart staff will pick your order in-store and pack it in a package with a biodegradable plastic parachute.

Give this to the Zipline staff, set it on the drone's abdomen, and launch it from the launch pad.

Target products are health and wellness such as over-the-counter drugs and band-aids. Eligible users are also limited to residents within 50 miles (about 80 kilometers) of the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market Pea Ridge store.

Since it can be fired from the launch pad at a minimum interval of 90 seconds, it is said that it will be possible to deliver drones hundreds of times a day.

Zipline delivery seems to be considering launching a launch pad on the trailer of a truck to support difficult-to-access disaster areas.

Top video: Wal-Mart and Zipline autonomous drone delivery was featured on CBS morning news. The glider-type drone that is launched with a shout of "3, 2, 1" looks like a thunderbird and is cool. Landing is like a slingshot, where cables are attached to the two towers and hooked on the hook under the tail (as seen in the video from 2:38).

By using a motor glider that is more resistant to bad weather and has a shorter delivery time than conventional rotary wing drones, we will promote ultra-fast air transportation in difficult-to-access countryside and disaster areas. On the other hand, the zipline delivery machine does not have the propulsive force to slide and take off, so a launch pad that serves as a launch pad is indispensable. Therefore, it is also necessary to install the launch pad on a hub of 7 meters or more.

⇒ Hello! I'm Fumitoshi Goto, an American distribution consultant. Despite the test, Wal-Mart has finally started commercial delivery by drone. Recently, there has been a lot of news about the introduction of innovation to home delivery by Wal-Mart. On the 8th of this month, Wal-Mart announced that it will deliver for online supermarkets using fully autonomous trucks. It is an automatic guided vehicle "Middle Mile" that connects the dark store of the distribution center and the store. Wal-Mart operates 3,570 supercenters boasting over 5,000 tsubo and has nearly 700 neighborhood markets with around 1,200 tsubo to fill the vacant trade area. Fully self-driving trucks loop from dark stores or supercenters to neighborhood markets or pick-up locations. In September, it announced that it would start testing self-driving car delivery services in three cities. This is the introduction of innovation in the last one mile. The last one mile on a fixed-wing drone as in today's entry article. Moreover, it is a super-fast delivery in the countryside.

The aim of the home delivery service in collaboration with Zipline is to contribute to society, such as supporting disaster-stricken areas. I think we are aiming to make the hub airport, which is the platform, small enough to fit on a trailer.