Uber Partners with Wing to Test Drone Delivery in Dallas

Serve Robotics and Wing believe that using both ground and aerial drones will enhance delivery times.

A Groundbreaking Duo of Delivery Drones

A bold initiative is set to launch. Serve Robotics, Uber’s sidewalk drone delivery arm, and Wing, Alphabet’s aerial drone service, have decided to join forces. Their goal: to expedite delivery times by reaching areas that neither could serve alone.

A Joint Trial in Dallas

According to TechCrunch, the tech companies plan to start deliveries in Dallas, Texas, in the upcoming months. The trial will involve delivering a selection of customer orders using a combination of flying drones and sidewalk drones.

Overcoming Drone Delivery Challenges

Coverage remains one of the biggest challenges in drone delivery. Flying drones are restricted by their flight distance from their base, while sidewalk drones may struggle in densely populated areas or uneven terrain. To overcome these hurdles, Serve Robotics and Wing plan to use both types of drones to deliver orders in areas where traditional delivery services cannot reach.

The process would involve a Serve robot picking up an order from a restaurant and transporting the food to an “AutoLoader”. Here, Wing’s drone, capable of carrying up to five pounds and flying at speeds up to 65 mph, picks up the order and completes the delivery.

What Happens Post-Test?

Details about the participating restaurants or merchants, the specific areas of Dallas where the drones will operate, or plans for the post-test expansion of the new drone delivery fleet remain unclear. For context, Serve Robotics is already delivering for 300 restaurants in Los Angeles, while Wing has also partnered with Walmart in Dallas and participated in a pilot program with DoorDash and Wendy’s in Virginia.