A drone has successfully delivered a package to a residential location in a Nevada town in what its maker and the state's governor say is the first fully autonomous urban drone delivery in the US.
Flirtey CEO Matt Sweeney said the six-rotor drone flew about a kilometre along a pre-programmed delivery route on March 10 and lowered the package outside a vacant residence in Hawthorne.
The route was established using GPS. A pilot and visual observers were on standby during the flight but weren't needed, Sweeney said.
He said the package included bottled water, food and a first-aid kit.
"Conducting the first drone delivery in an urban setting is a major achievement, taking us closer to the day that drones make regular deliveries to your front doorstep," Sweeney said.
Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval congratulated the company "on successfully completing the nation's first fully autonomous urban package delivery."
NASA is working with the drone industry and the Federal Aviation Administration on a low-altitude air traffic control system to prevent crashes involving drones and other low-altitude aircraft. Nevada is one of six states the FAA has designated as unmanned aircraft systems test sites.
Flirtey conducted the first FAA-approved, rural drone delivery in July to a health care clinic in Virginia. The company recently moved its headquarters from Australia to Nevada.
The Nevada delivery demonstrates that advanced drone systems allow aerial vehicles to safely navigate around buildings and deliver packages with precision within a populated area, Sweeney said.
"This was by far one of the most successful (unmanned aircraft systems) operations we ran and represents an advanced level of test and development ... by Flirtey," said Chris Walach, director of operations for the FAA-designated Nevada site.
