Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
h a l f b a k e r y
Get half a life.

idea: add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, best, random

meta: news, help, about, links, report a problem

account: browse anonymously, or get an account and write.

user:
pass:
register,


                 

UAV Courier Service

 Because traffic jams suck!
  (+15, -2)(+15, -2)
(+15, -2) 		  [vote for,
against]

Imagine a fleet of UAVs flying over every major city in America. Is it the government's latest attempt at monitoring its citizens? Is it a new missle defense system created by the crackpot scientists at DARPA? Nope, it's the flying future of intra-urban courier services.

All you've got to do is put in a request online with the package's location and destination and a UAV will be dispatched to you ASAP. You hand over your mail to the drone and off it goes into the skies, hovering gracefully past the traffic jams and road blocks, only to deliver your package in the fastest manner possible. Once the viability of such of system is proven, it won't be long before restaurants deliver fresh food to your doorstep using UAVs.

—prototrance, Apr 22 2007

VTOL parcel delivery system [scroll down] http://www.aarontan...rojects_spaces.html
Check out the pictures, very nice! [django, May 18 2007]

Please log in.
If you're not logged in, you can see what this page looks like, but you will not be able to add anything.
Short name, e.g., Bob's Coffee
Destination URL. E.g., http://www.coffee.com/
Description (displayed with the short name and URL.)






       Perhaps a cheaper way would be BPVs (Ballistic Package Vehicles) : a catapult and a catching net on buildings' roofs. The catapult knows the exact distance to other buildings and the BPVs have rudders to adjust the trajectory if necessary.
—xipetotec, Apr 23 2007
   

       Nice - I envisage a little helicopter which gets to whatever GPS position you gave it, then phones you and homes in on your mobile phone signal.   

       [xipetotec]'s variant is more elegantly halfbaked in Bruce Sterling's 'Heavy Weather', IIRC.
—moomintroll, Apr 23 2007
   

       I like the picture of someone hitting the dirt at the approach of the UAV, then finding that it's delivered a pizza. I'd be pretty wary of ordering cheeseburger, which I vaguely remember as the nickname of some kind of air-dropped fuel-air explosive device.
—pertinax, Apr 23 2007
   

       Great idea. I want to see UAV pizza delivery in Alabama.... Could you amagine the people shooting at the drones to "hunt" some pizza for dinner.
—evilpenguin, May 18 2007
   

       Baked.   

       VTOL PARCEL SYSTEM   

       Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and NIAC (NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts) focused on the future of package transportation by looking at VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) aerial vehicles, also known as AVSLA: Autonomous VTOL Scalable Logistics Architecture -in essence, smart flying robots- as part of a rapid delivery system for high priority packages for usage in the future, 10-20 years ahead. The primary objective for the design team was to envision feasible "system-of-systems" delivery solutions by thinking creatively, having knowledge in the "Human Experience", researching the realities in engineering, overall cost efficiency, security precautions, creating scenario storyboards, and taking advantage of future technologies. Several developed proposals were created which successfully broadened Sikorsky's view of possibilities and directions for their ongoing research and development. Sikorsky succeeded in receiving funds for further phases of this unique project [link].
—django, May 18 2007
   

       Cool. Where will the pizza go though?
—DrWotsit, Jun 14 2007
   

       I considered this sort of idea myself, back during my stint as a pizza delivery driver (as a part of my over-all, completely automated, high speed pizza take-away-or-delivered concept).
I decided that it would be better as a data and sensitive document courier for business types, than for delivering food, particularly for offices in highrise buildings (comes in through the window).
Alas, it is still a dream yet to be realised...
—neutrinos_shadow, Jun 14 2007
   


 

back: main index
business  computer  culture  fashion  food  halfbakery  home  other  product  public  science  sport  vehicle