Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) took another tiny step closer to acceptance in the U.S. after Flirtey, an independent drone manufacturer, successfully completed what it is calling the “first fully autonomous, FAA-approved urban drone delivery in the United States.”
The test took place with special clearance by the FAA in an uninhabited area near the town of Hawthorne, Nevada, delivering a package containing bottled water, emergency food and a first aid kit via a six-rotor drone vehicle. The UAV guided itself without human intervention along a pre-determined delivery route and lowered the package at a drop-off location. Just in case, a trained Flirtey pilot and some visual observers were on standby in case trouble arose, but they were not needed.
“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,” said Matt Sweeny, CEO of Flirtey. Previously, Flirtey had conducted the first FAA-approved drone delivery in July 2015, which included a series of medical deliveries to a rural healthcare clinic.
The Flirtey test was completed through a partnership with the Nevada Advanced Autonomous Systems Innovation Center at the University of Nevada-Reno. Both partners are working with NASA to develop a low-altitude air traffic management system to accommodate drone traffic.
Flirtey’s delivery was filmed for a 28-minute ABC-TV documentary called “Foreign Correspondent,” which will air in mid-April.