As people abide by lockdowns and social distancing rules, drones have come to play a critical role in public health and helping cities operate amid COVID-19. Wing, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has seen a surge in demand. The use of the company's delivery service grew 500 percent in 2020 over 2019.
"I think the pandemic does have a silver lining in that we've realized how important it is to have access to the things people need every day, whether it be urgent medicine or even just staples around the house like toilet paper. Wing was happy to play our small part in the cities we're operating in to help bridge that gap of what people need and the access they have to have to things, and we think drone delivery is a very sensible way to do that," James Burgess, CEO of Wing, told Cheddar on Friday.
Before the pandemic, Wing's main focus was on residential drone delivery which proved to be a benefit when people swiftly began to adjust their lives last March. It wasn't just toilet paper and food people needed; medicine and even educational materials needed to get around.
"During the pandemic, the local library wanted to connect kids to their reading material and they had no other way to do it; and so we were happy to participate and deliver library books by drone, which is not something we had thought of but [were] really excited to apply what we can do on the technology front to what the communities need," Burgess said.
Wing currently conducts commercial drone delivery operations to consumers in the United States, Australia, and Finland. In 2019, Wing launched its U.S. drone delivery in Christiansburg, Virginia.
A better understanding of the function of drone delivery is an experiment. Individuals, businesses, and Wing are all trying ideas out. "We had a coffee vendor come to us and said, 'I don't know if people will order coffee by drone.' And it turns out to be exceedingly popular, so it's a combination of Wing trying things and seeing what's popular, seeing what works and delivers value, and also having a two-way conversation with communities and being willing to explore their ideas as well," Burgess said. (I mean, who doesn't want their coffee delivered by drone to their door?)
There may come a time we look up and see scores of drones navigating the sky. However, as they fly above our heads and to our homes now, safety and security is a big concern for many people. Though the risk may not be zero yet, Burgess assured it was safe. "Fortunately, from all the work Wing has done and working with regulators, we actually have data that shows this is the safest way to transport a package — safer than a car, even safer than walking down the sidewalk minding your own business," he said.
As people are adapting to the idea of drone delivery, Wing is also acknowledging communities' needs and concerns and says its drones create new opportunities for local businesses and help cities eliminate congestion on the road.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
