Swinging by your local 7-Eleven to get a Slurpee on a hot summer day sounds like a great idea. Even better? Not having to leave the house to get one.
That lazy, sugary dream became a reality for one Reno, NV, family this weekend. They became the first people to receive 7-Eleven fare by drone. The convenience-store chain partnered with Reno-based drone delivery startup Flirtey for the occasion. 7-Eleven already lets you order delivery through apps, such as Postmates, but it hopes to add drone delivery to its fast-food services. (Unfortunately, we're still waiting on the FAA to issue some guidelines on how drone-based deliveries should operate before this can be a widespread thing.)
The delivery took place July 10. The drone successfully delivered Slurpees, a chicken sandwich, candy, hot coffee, and donuts in a proprietary, drone-friendly shipping container. The flight wasn't far — the family lived within a mile of their 7-Eleven store.
Amazon also hopes to one day deliver Prime packages by drone. It could be cool, for sure: Drones could deliver some items more quickly than a driver. If deliveries were executed right, perhaps that could also mean less traffic and smog on the roads. But it would certainly be weird to be walking down the street, look up, and see the sky filled with buzzing drones. Also, what happens if your uncouth neighbor nabs your drone delivery before you have a chance to grab it? These are questions 7-Eleven, Amazon, and others are no doubt trying to solve at this very moment.
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