Walmart pilots air drone delivery service in North Carolina

Walmart is now testing a flying drone delivery service it hopes will speed up shipments. 

The pilot launches today in Fayetteville, North Carolina, using drones from Israeli startup Flytrex to deliver select grocery and household items from neighboring Walmart stores. 

The retail giant uploaded a clip of the service, which shows a Walmart employee placing a bag with grocery items inside the drone. The six-propeller machine then takes off from the Walmart store, flies to the customer’s home, and drops the bag on their front lawn using a line tether. 

“The drones, which are controlled over the cloud using a smart and easy control dashboard, will help us gain valuable insight into the customer and associate experience, from picking and packing to takeoff and delivery,” wrote Walmart SVP Tom Ward in the announcement.  Read more...