Google working to make package delivery by
drones a reality by 2017 .
Internet giant Alphabet Inc , the new holding company for
Google, expects to begin delivering packages to consumers
via drones sometime in 2017, the executive in charge of its
drone effort said on Monday.
David Vos, the leader for Alphabet’s Project Wing, said his
company is in talks with the Federal Aviation Administration
and other stakeholders about setting up an air traffic control
system for drones that would use cellular and Internet
technology to coordinate unmanned aerial vehicle flights at
altitudes under 500 feet (152 meters). “Our goal is to have
commercial business up and running in 2017,” he told an
audience at an air traffic control convention near Washington.
Alphabet and Amazon.com Inc are among a growing
number of companies that intend to make package delivery
by drone a reality. But drone deliveries are not expected to
take flight until after the FAA publishes final rules for
commercial drone operations, which are expected early next
year.
Two years after initial research began, Project Wing was
announced in August 2014 with a YouTube video showing a
field test of its most viable prototype in Australia. The
prototype flown in Australia, 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) wide and
0.8 meters (2.6 feet) tall, shares the same four-propeller
quad copter design as popular consumer drones, but the
company said consumers can expect to see new vehicle
types and shapes as the project unfolds.
Inside the United States, Project Wing has conducted testing
with NASA. Vos, who is co-chair of an FAA task force
charged with coming up with a drone registry, said a system
for identifying drone operators and keeping UAV away from
other aircraft could be set up within 12 months. “We’re pretty
much on a campaign here, working with the FAA, working
with the small UAV community and the aviation community
at large, to move things along,” he said.
Vos said a drone registry, which the Obama administration
hopes to set in place by Dec 20, would be a first step toward
a system that could use wireless telecommunications and
Internet technology including cellphone applications to
identify drones and keep UAV clear of other aircraft and
controlled airspace.
He said Google would like to see low altitude “Class G”
airspace carved out for drones, saying it would keep UAV
away from most manned aircraft aside from low-flying
helicopters, while enabling drones to fly over highly
populated areas.
drones a reality by 2017 .
Internet giant Alphabet Inc , the new holding company for
Google, expects to begin delivering packages to consumers
via drones sometime in 2017, the executive in charge of its
drone effort said on Monday.
David Vos, the leader for Alphabet’s Project Wing, said his
company is in talks with the Federal Aviation Administration
and other stakeholders about setting up an air traffic control
system for drones that would use cellular and Internet
technology to coordinate unmanned aerial vehicle flights at
altitudes under 500 feet (152 meters). “Our goal is to have
commercial business up and running in 2017,” he told an
audience at an air traffic control convention near Washington.
Alphabet and Amazon.com Inc are among a growing
number of companies that intend to make package delivery
by drone a reality. But drone deliveries are not expected to
take flight until after the FAA publishes final rules for
commercial drone operations, which are expected early next
year.
Two years after initial research began, Project Wing was
announced in August 2014 with a YouTube video showing a
field test of its most viable prototype in Australia. The
prototype flown in Australia, 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) wide and
0.8 meters (2.6 feet) tall, shares the same four-propeller
quad copter design as popular consumer drones, but the
company said consumers can expect to see new vehicle
types and shapes as the project unfolds.
Inside the United States, Project Wing has conducted testing
with NASA. Vos, who is co-chair of an FAA task force
charged with coming up with a drone registry, said a system
for identifying drone operators and keeping UAV away from
other aircraft could be set up within 12 months. “We’re pretty
much on a campaign here, working with the FAA, working
with the small UAV community and the aviation community
at large, to move things along,” he said.
Vos said a drone registry, which the Obama administration
hopes to set in place by Dec 20, would be a first step toward
a system that could use wireless telecommunications and
Internet technology including cellphone applications to
identify drones and keep UAV clear of other aircraft and
controlled airspace.
He said Google would like to see low altitude “Class G”
airspace carved out for drones, saying it would keep UAV
away from most manned aircraft aside from low-flying
helicopters, while enabling drones to fly over highly
populated areas.
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