Google Project Wing’s chief David Vos announced the drone delivery plan.
By Sreekanth A Nair
Google is planning to start drone-based package delivery to customers in 2017. In a statement to Reuters, David Vos, in-charge of Alphabet’s Project wing, said that the company is working on developing the drone delivery service.
Vos said at an air traffic control convention near Washington that the company was having discussions with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other authorities about making an air traffic control system for drones that uses cellular and Internet technology to control Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) at altitudes under 500 feet.
“Our goal is to have commercial business up and running in 2017”, Vos was quoted by Reuters as saying.
Vos said that the US administration was planning to set up a drone registry by December 20. This would be an important step towards establishing a system using wireless telecommunications and Internet technology including cell phone applications to identify and control unmanned aerial vehicles.
Vos hoped that a system for identifying drones and keeping away UAVs from other aircrafts could be created in 12 months.
“We’re pretty much on a campaign here, working with the FAA, working with the small UAV community and the aviation community at large, to move things along,” he said.
Vos is a member of a task force formed to assist the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation to create a drone registration system. The authorities want all drones over a certain size to be registered with the government.
Project Wing of Google was announced officially in August 2014 after having worked for two years secretly.
Many other companies including Amazon and Walmart are also planning to use drones for product delivery.