What's that in the air? A bird? A plane? And why does it have your cough medicine? It's no superman. It's a delivery (投递)drone (无人机)!
On November 1st in North Carolina, UPS used a drone to send two prescription (处方) medicines from a CVS hospital to a customer's home and a far community. Although it is not UPS' first drone delivery, this is the first time drones have been used for prescription medicines. The delivery drones can lift up to five pounds and take online orders. Some drones are fit with a propeller (螺旋桨) that allows them to fly longer with less oil. Did you know that they can reach speeds of 70 mph! These drones have the customer's goods put on them by workers. Then, using a GPS, the drones can find a way to the customers. And to make sure everything goes on well, a far operator will control the drone.
Drones can avoid traffic and go to areas transportation cannot reach. This means drones are good for transporting quick medical things to crowded or far areas. They can also deliver medicine to people with disabilities. However, drone delivery still comes with disadvantages. Without proper agreement from the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA), operators cannot let drones fly during the night, or out of sight. There are also challenges in the delivery itself such as finding a place for drones to land, and preventing drones from knocking with each other in mid-air.
The expectation of widespread drone delivery is closer than ever before. More companies -- even Amazon--jump on the drone fashion. I am looking forward to having a try. If drone delivery comes to your city, what will you order?
