Pizza Delivery Flyer UAV

Stargazer

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Does the world really want or need a small aerial vehicle to deliver pizza – in place of the uncounted numbers of automobiles and trucks currently being used for delivery? That will remain an unanswered question for the future. One thing is certain though the development of such vehicles would make for exciting and inspiring design, build, and fly student design
competitions.

One notional approach from a vehicle configuration perspective for the “Pizza Delivery Flyer” is a combination blended-wing-body and tilt-wing aircraft to yield a large volumetric payload capacity in an airframe configuration optimized for STOL capability for residential street take-off and landing.

Source: Aerobots as a Ubiquitous Part of Society
 

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If they built something like that, I'd expect them to put the LiPo's, speed controllers, etc right under the pizza - nobody likes wind-chilled pizza ;)
 
Speaking of high-tech pizza delivery vehicles, remember 'Snow Crash'?
 
And this is when man has reached the epitome of laziness, when they are unwilling to even drive a car to deliver a pizza
 
But Casey, why haul a thousand kilos of metal and plastic around the streets to deliver a pizza when you can do the same thing in a straight line with probably a couple of hundred kilos at most and no repeated stops or starts, and use much less petrol?
 
pathology_doc said:
But Casey, why haul a thousand kilos of metal and plastic around the streets to deliver a pizza when you can do the same thing in a straight line with probably a couple of hundred kilos at most and no repeated stops or starts, and use much less petrol?

Maybe because when there are enough delivery UAVs of all kinds flying above us in city skies, the risk of collisions and subsequent fall of debris on the heads of passers-by may not quite be worth it... ::)
 
Why does this sound like a student inspired idea? :)

Can you imagine the insurance claims? "I was sitting in my garden when I was hit on the head and badly concussed by a low-flying large deep pan stuffed crust Meat Feast pizza with extra cheese and pineapple." ;D

Think of the job adverts: 'Must be adept at flying R/C aircraft or playing flight sims and video games'

Real world uses.... island delivery services, ammo to front line troops under fire, parcel courier etc
 
Stargazer2006 said:
Maybe because when there are enough delivery UAVs of all kinds flying above us in city skies, the risk of collisions and subsequent fall of debris on the heads of passers-by may not quite be worth it... ::)

Pizza, raining randomly from the skies?

Could be worse ;)
 
xmotex said:
Could be worse ;)

INDEED...

IMG_0001.jpg
 
Nick said:
.....pizza with extra cheese and pineapple." ;D

I'm given to understand that certain people in the Italian underworld still have a contract out on the person who first cameup with the idea of putting pinapple on pizza :p

Apart from that, I agree with the suggested real-world uses of a system like that. Get the little buggers to communicate with each other and work out the whole air-traffic-control thing on their own, and then sit back and wait for the DHL deliveries (or pizza).

Regards & all,

Thomas L. Nielsen
Luxembourg
 
Stargazer2006,

I didn't even think about the possibilities of midair collisions. Transport and delivery isn't the only application of this technology, there are several proposals that include surveillance applications, possibly at least one that could be armed.
 
Great - now I am having visions of armed pizza delivery UAVs roaming the skies.

"Dear sir;

Pizza Hut regrets to inform you that your 15" Hawaiian with extra pineapple and 2 serves of garlic bread has been shot down en route by a rival's UAV. Please accept our condolences and a refund on your credit card. We appreciate your business and hope you will make your replacement order with us.

For a 10% premium, you may specify chaff and flares with your order. Micro-Sidewinder AAMs may be added for $10 each, or $5 with any order over $50.00

We look forward to serving you."

::)
 
pathology_doc said:
Great - now I am having visions of armed pizza delivery UAVs roaming the skies.

"Dear sir;

Pizza Hut regrets to inform you that your 15" Hawaiian with extra pineapple and 2 serves of garlic bread has been shot down en route by a rival's UAV. Please accept our condolences and a refund on your credit card. We appreciate your business and hope you will make your replacement order with us.

For a 10% premium, you may specify chaff and flares with your order. Micro-Sidewinder AAMs may be added for $10 each, or $5 with any order over $50.00

We look forward to serving you."

::)

'Servicing', 1980's style. ;)
 
This topic may have to be moved to the Aerospace section... The Burrito Bomber UAV is now a REALITY!!!

Thanks to Alejandro for the pointer.

http://www.gizmag.com/burrito-bomber-uav/25468/
 
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/dominos-carries-world-first-pizza-drone-delivery-210123802.html
 
Been trying to figure out a way to get my RC quad-copter to fetch beer from the fridge for a while now.
 
You could have an app that would make your phone function as a homing beacon. Perhaps the customer could even take control via a smartphone for the final approach, as soon as you had line of sight. That would also obviate a lot problems with entering private property and liability for damages, as the responsibility would be shifted to the customer.
 
This story annoys the *insert phrase of choice* out of me. There's no way with either current or proposed legislation, Amazon would be allowed to do this (either in UK or US). Jt's just a way of getting free advertising.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25180906



"Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, is testing unmanned drones to deliver goods to customers, Chief Executive Jeff Bezos says.
The drones, called Octocopters, could deliver packages weighing up to 2.3kg to customers within 30 minutes of them placing the order, he said.
However, he added that it could take up to five years for the service to start.
The US Federal Aviation Administration is yet to approve the use of unmanned drones for civilian purposes.
"I know this looks like science fiction, but it's not," Mr Bezos told CBS television's 60 Minutes programme.
"We can do half-hour delivery... and we can carry objects, we think, up to five pounds (2.3kg), which covers 86% of the items that we deliver."
The service will be called Prime Air and comes as Amazon is looking to improve its efficiency to boost growth.
Amazon also posted a video on its website showing a drone picking up a package from one of its warehouses and delivering it to the doorstep of a customer's house.
However, it still has to wait for permission from US regulators.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the use of drones for police and government agencies, issuing about 1,400 permits over the past several years.
Civilian air space is expected to be opened up to all kinds of drones in the US by 2015 and in Europe by 2016.
Existing regulations are in place to minimise the risk of injury to people on the ground, said Dr Darren Ansell, an expert on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) from the University of Central Lancashire.
"The UAVs do not currently have the awareness of their environment to be able to avoid flying into people. To deliver goods to people's homes for example in residential areas, the UAVs must overfly densely populated towns and cities, something that today's regulations prevent.
"Other things to consider are security of the goods during the transit. With no one to guard them the aircraft and package could be captured and stolen," he said.
Amazon said: "from a technology point of view, we'll be ready to enter commercial operations as soon as the necessary regulations are in place."
The FAA was "actively working on rules for unmanned aerial vehicles", the company said, adding that it hoped the green light would be given as early as 2015.
"One day, Prime Air vehicles will be as normal as seeing mail trucks on the road today."
Zookal, an Australian textbook rental company, announced earlier this year that it would start using drones to make deliveries from 2015 if approved by Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
Australian law allows the use of unmanned aircraft for commercial use."
 
shedofdread said:
It's just a way of getting free advertising.
That's my interpretation, too and Amazon already built in the escape hatch into its statement:
"...as soon as the necessary regulations are in place."
Most of the "civil drones" still yet principally are high-end RC-models. And especially during the silly season
this year, there again were several reports, about problems and complaints with camera carrying "drones",
actually always RC-models then. Of course the theme weren't those flying objects actually used for, say, the
inspection of transmission lines, roofs of houses or fields, but quarrel between neighbours, when one of them
used his quad copter for peeping over the fence or into windows. There already are a lot of legal provisions,
that could be broken, when you're just flying your tiny camera copter outside your house. It's still a grey area
and regulations will have to be adapted. But I'm pretty sure, that it will take longer, than just about two to three
years !
But I'm afraid, that for RC-pilots the hobby will become more difficult !
 
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