Domino's Pizza Delivers First Pizzas By Drone

Pizza fans who like Domino's the best will be thrilled to hear of a new delivery method that the pizza chain is trying out. Domino's has announced that it began delivering fresh, hot pies by air via a drone delivery service this week. The first deliveries are happening in New Zealand as part of a tie up between Domino's and drone maker Flirtey.

Deliveries are being conducted between Domino's locations and select customer homes and these are the first aerial pizza deliveries in the entire world. The two firms plan to increase drone deliveries in the near future. The drone used for the deliveries is a Flirtey DRU Drone using autonomous technology.

The tech inside the drone allows it to support safety systems and it uses special packaging that has been designed to operate in a variety of weather conditions and to use flight paths in suburban environments. Domino's says that a survey found that 70% of its customers would use the drone delivery system if available.

"We are thrilled with the results of our trials, and look forward to expanding DRU Drone by Flirtey soon," Domino's Group CEO and Managing Director Don Meij said. "We invested in this partnership, and technology, because we believe drone delivery will be an essential component of our pizza deliveries, so even more customers can receive the freshest, hottest pizza we can offer."

The DRU Drone will work along with the current Domino's delivery fleet and is fully integrated into the online ordering and GPS system. The drone is made from carbon fiber, aluminum, and 3D printed parts. It is autonomous and lowers cargo via a tether. The drone has safety features like a low-battery return-to-safe-location programming and auto-return-home commands if there is a low GPS signal or loss of communications.

SOURCE: Flirty