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.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
At the core of the ongoing government shutdown is a fight over the decision to end subsidies that let some 12 million Americans get health coverage.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
