Google’s parent company Alphabet introduced an automatic drone delivery system under the name ‘Project WING’. This project was started to make way for a mind-blowing breakthrough in the area of transportation. Transportation through roads is not always the fastest option. Also, it exploits too much fuel which in turn causes greenhouse emission levels to rise. It is proposed that the WING drones can deliver various items in all situations, whether it is a commercial food delivery or an emergency medical supply. It can do it all. This might be the first commercial delivery drone of the world that has progressed this far. Several test flights have been conducted in the United States and Australia.
Trial Flights
The trial flights were mostly used to test the accuracy of these drones in delivering the items to locations as small as a doorstep. As of now, they have been built with an unmanned traffic management platform to steer away from other unmanned or manned aircraft, trees, buildings and any other obstacles that might turn up in their path. This has been implemented using Machine Learning algorithms. Their fuel efficiency, communication systems, and delivery precisions have all been tested in these trial runs.
Residents disapprove WING drones
WING has been tested several times in Canberra of Australia, delivering coffee, medication, and burritos to the residents of the area. But, most of these residents are having a hard time accepting the impact it has caused to their safe and friendly neighbourhood. These residents claim that the drone project has become a local menace with unbearable noise and constant safety threats. Although the confinement of the WING drones to the safety regulations has been brought to the awareness of locals, they still do not feel that these regulations will protect them from the inevitable hazard that the drones have brought upon them. When the communication equipment on these drones fail, they may go rogue and out of control. They will undoubtedly cause harm to property, humans or even the wildlife of the area.
Technologist, Professor Roger Clarke claims that “Google should maintain transparency in the WING project unlike their other invisible and intangible projects. Drones are tangible and they might hit someone.” He has warned that if the company does not take the general public into the project and warn them of the threats and dangers involved, this project would see a downfall.
After the complaints, the project team has taken action to reduce the noise levels and introduce more safety feature. However, it might need more than that to win over the approval of the Australian residents.
