Medicine Delivered By Flying Drones 43
A company has launched a service in San Francisco to deliver medicine and other drug store items via airborne drone. The company, QuiQui, chose the Mission district of San Francisco for its lack of tall buildings and generally flat landscape, which makes it much easier for the flying drones to get around. They're working with pharmacies to deliver medicine because the packages are typically very small and easy for the drones to carry. QuiQui has been working on the concept for two years even though they knew it was likely to be illegal. They were surprised when the FAA lost its lawsuit earlier this month to block commercial drone use, but they're taking the opportunity to push forward. They haven't yet resolved what to do about delivering regulated substances.
What could possibly go wrong? (Score:5, Interesting)
The obvious applications (Score:2)
Yeah, there can be problems delivering medicines to people by drone, such as theft of the product near the delivery point, but you can reduce some of that by having video cameras in the drone.
Of course, this being San Francisco, the obvious "medicine" that'll be delivered is weed.
Re: (Score:3)
Weed-to-go online booking form.
Please select the amount of item you want delivered,
[_] 50 grammes [_] 100 grammes [_] 250 grammes [_] 500 grammes [_] 1 kilogram [_] 2 kilograms [_] 5 kilograms [_] other
If other, please enter the amount here [____] (maximum 25 kilograms)
Please enter how soon you want the delivery:
[_] Whenever (next three days) [_] Before I get the munchies (next day) [_] Just give me the dope, man! (today)
After the purchase has been approved, please print out the barcode target and place it
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Drones in the Mission? What a retarded hipster idea. Just go back to delivering on your fixie, man.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I'd be more concerned about taking a propeller to the face.
For better or worse even some of the high-end drones don't handle wind spectacularly. It doesn't take much at all for a drone to drift by a few metres and potentially injure someone.
Re: (Score:2)
gangs shoot them down and sell the drugs on the street
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, because unlike drones, people never crash their vehicles.
The new "X on the internet". (Score:5, Insightful)
It seems that these days, adding "with drones." to any old headline makes it newsworthy.
Re: (Score:1)
Yep. "Me too" start-ups. "A" was a success, "B" was a success, then a half-assed "A+B" will be the next Facebook.
It's Pets.com all over again.
Now please excuse me, I have to get back to working on an iPhone-fitbit-social-network for drones trying to keep in shape and keep in touch.
Re:The new "X on the internet". (Score:4, Funny)
Yeah. Why would a tech site has any interest in autonomous(?) robotic couriers flying around the city? Tell me something about the sci-fi future we were supposed to have already!
Re: (Score:1)
"Porn via drones"
Hmmmm
Re: (Score:2)
Just wait until I patent a drone with a touchscreen on the internet.
Other light and urgent pharmacy items (Score:1)
Condoms
We Come in Peace (Score:1)
Junkie defense systems? (Score:3)
Re:Junkie defense systems? (Score:4, Interesting)
I know you just thought you were being clever, but you were wrong. An airsoft gun isn't going to take down a drone. You're going to need at least a good airgun for that. Not even a .22; a .177 pellet packs plenty of punch, especially if it is pointy. And it has the added advantage of being trivial when it comes down, so long as you don't fire it at a shallow angle.
Re: (Score:2)
Fair point, but why did you need that first sentence? It's not very nice to say 'you thought you were being clever' to someone.
Because they thought they were being clever, but they weren't? They should really be informed that people saw what they did there. It's for their own good. That way they'll understand the sort of responses they're getting. Or did you think nobody should ever be told what they're doing wrong so that they can be confused for the rest of their lives?
Flying Vapers. (Score:2)
How do you think I get my weed?
kids' "skynet" (Score:1)
Woe betide those who fill a complicated drug order (Score:2)
Secccurity!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
bro, just imagine... (Score:2, Funny)
if someone used bitcoins to buy a 3d-printer and had it delivered by drones!
Not a bad idea ... (Score:3)
Who needs this? (Score:2)
Enough with the drones (Score:2)
Hypo on a Hellfire? (Score:2)
They must have to carefully calibrate the size of the missile with the syringe on the tip!
Re: (Score:2)
Goodbye Delivery People (Score:2)
Take-away by drone.
Post by Drone.
Milk / groceries by drone.
Self-driving electric taxis.
I'm surprised the fast food chains don't use robots.
The future will an interesting sight. Perhaps the taller blocks of flats will have serving hatches for drones to use.
And then the resources will run out and we'll all be proper f****d according to NASA (Or we'll learn to recycle).
Re: (Score:2)
makes it much easier? (Score:1)