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DoorDash has revealed a purpose-built autonomous aircraft for its drone delivery system, having designed specific packaging and infrastructure for orders delivered by air.
Before building the aircraft, DoorDash sought to develop ground infrastructure such as packaging, loading systems, and kitchen-to-aircraft handoffs – aiming to cover ‘the hardest part of autonomous delivery’, which is the ‘first and last ten feet’ between the merchant’s kitchen and a consumer’s doorstep.
The company also collected data to understand what products consumers order, how much those orders typically weigh, and how far they have to travel. The aircraft and drone packaging were subsequently designed with these factors in mind.
Reportedly, around 80% of typical DoorDash restaurant orders are already light and small enough to be carried safely by aircraft.
Powered by DoorDash Air, the aircraft has been engineered with local communities in mind. Slow-spinning propellers are mounted at the end of the drone’s arms, with cruising noise apparently limited to that of a passing car at delivery height.
A winch has been implemented for smoother pickup and dropoff processes, and failsafe systems are included to safely lower the aircraft to the ground in an emergency.
DoorDash’s Autonomous Delivery Platform (ADP) also uses smart routing and considers weather, flight range, ground traffic, and other circumstances when deciding whether to transport deliveries by air.
DoorDash hopes to make drone delivery feasible, reliable, safe and scalable for local businesses of all sizes.
“We didn’t start with a drone and ask what would fit,” said Harrison Shih, head of DoorDash Air. “We started with what people order and how local businesses actually operate, then built the entire system from there.
“Any local business should be able to reach consumers by air. We built the whole system so that they can deliver by air without being disruptive to how they run their business.”
This development comes after Wonder and Zipline teamed up to deliver takeaway meals, in their original packaging, via drone. Since no special packaging is required, the Zipline system is expected to integrate seamlessly into kitchen and outgoing workflows without requiring expensive infrastructural changes.
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