While we’ll likely be waiting a bit longer for drones to replace sweaty guys on bicycles delivering our takeout in the United States, in Reykjavík, Iceland you’ll be able to get a hamburger or a pint of beer delivered through the friendly skies starting this week.
According to The Verge, Israeli drone logistics company Flytrex has partnered with on-demand food delivery service AHA in the country to launch a small drone delivery service. Currently, there’s just one delivery route (although there are plans to roll out more) that will serve roughly 20 customers each day.
That doesn’t mean Reykjavík residents will see drones landing in their neighbor’s front yard just yet. Instead, the drones will tackle a small portion of each delivery: Drones (specifically a modified DJI Matrice 600) will fly food orders over a bay, where it will be passed to a traditional delivery person who finishes the journey.
The delivery drones can carry packages weighing up to 6.5 pounds for six miles (although the trip across the bay is only two). Eventually, the drones will complete the entire delivery, although once they arrive at someone’s home, they won’t land. Instead, they’ll hover and lower that hamburger (or whatever else you ordered) to the ground using a wire.
