Domino's delivers pizza by drone in New Zealand

[Homer J Simpson]

http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/26/technology/dominos-drone-new-zealand/index.html?iid=ob_homepage_tech_pool

[System Error Message]

What about if i wanted to order a drone? Will it be shipped by a drone?

[Jwalling]

If only Dominos pizza was worth eating. 
Edibility aside, got to wonder how hot it will be when it arrives.

[Wytnucls]

Now, if the pizza could be baked in the shape of an airfoil, deliveries could be made at twice the distance.

[tautech]

Yeah, this  was on the tele the other night, good luck with your pizza actually arriving after sunset when most of the older urban areas have overhead power lines.....well they might arrived reheated along with a fried drone. 

[Marco]

Just put IR lights on the drone? These things turn on a dime, they don't need a huge range for obstacle avoidance.

Making people go outside with their mobile is pretty smart, you can use the app to send you GPS coordinates, combine with some image processing to find the people and drop it at their feet. That sounds like an idea which is patented.

[Zero999]

If only Dominos pizza was worth eating. 
Edibility aside, got to wonder how hot it will be when it arrives.

If they adopt it in Canada, people will get frozen pizza delivered in winter.

[Marco]

Vacuum insulation doesn't weigh a whole lot, you could hold the pizza in an insulated cargo bay.

It's all an interesting engineering problem, you'd probably need a separate set of small ducted fans (inefficient, but safe) on the part holding the box so you could keep it steady in high winds as you winch it down. I think in urban environments and if you make enough drones it might work technically and economically if no patent vultures shut you down (might as well not try for at least a decade).

The drone will eventually kill someone though, just like pizza delivery drivers kill people. Not sure if people will accept it from a drone though, we're more forgiving of human failure than technical malfunction.

[ez24]

...combine with some image processing to find the people and drop it at their feet. That sounds like an idea which is patented.

Better yet chop the pizza into small pieces and have the customers lay on their back and drop the pizza into their mouth.  Or better yet grind the pizza up so the customer does not have to chew.  Or better yet liquidize it and uses tubes from the drones to go directly into the mouth or stomach.  Endless possibilities.

Someday drones will be able to fly into houses and feed the disabled.  I am in a race against time and technology.

[hendorog]

Yeah, this  was on the tele the other night, good luck with your pizza actually arriving after sunset when most of the older urban areas have overhead power lines.....well they might arrived reheated along with a fried drone. 

I agree, I think mapping safe drop locations is going to be the most difficult part of this. Once done that map would be pretty valuable to other delivery operators.

[Muttley Snickers]

I predict that it wont last long, magpies and other birds learn quick and I would expect to see a few dog fights with interesting results and the odd casualty.

[tautech]

I predict that it wont last long, magpies and other birds learn quick and I would expect to see a few dog fights with interesting results and the odd casualty.

Yep, dogs might beat the purchaser to the pizzas. 

[Muttley Snickers]

News Flash: Domino's Pizza are feeding the homeless people, not by choice but because the hobos are a wake up.

 

[tautech]

I don't know how well you can look after yourself Muttley but you might be better to bargain Snickers bars for pizza should the need arise.
Should there be pig dog breeds in amongst the squabbles over pizzas the females of those breeds fight dirty and have a preference for attacking your most vulnerable areas so I'd hate you hear that you came out of one of these fracas 2 stone lighter. 

[Halcyon]

I predict that it wont last long, magpies and other birds learn quick and I would expect to see a few dog fights with interesting results and the odd casualty.

I can just imagine a Dominos drone being followed by a flock of birds waiting to get into its meaty goodness. 

[Muttley Snickers]

Even without the tempting morsels onboard they seem to be a good target, I cant wait to see this stuff live.

[stj]

GPS-jammers = free drones AND free pizza's

a win-win! 

[strangersound]

Don't forget the angry types who view drones as a privacy breach and shoot them down. I see an article about this fairly regular.

Customer: "You said 30 minutes or less!"
Dominos: "But Sir, your pizza got shot down by your neighbor, which is out of our control. Would you like some coupons for your next order?"

[Jwalling]

If only Dominos pizza was worth eating. 
Edibility aside, got to wonder how hot it will be when it arrives.

If they adopt it in Canada, people will get frozen pizza delivered in winter.

It would probably taste better, though.

[Halcyon]

GPS-jammers = free drones AND free pizza's

a win-win! 

Also a free trip to jail ;-) Not so much for stealing, but for operating/possessing a jammer.

[stj]

gotta catch you using it where i am - having it means nothing.

[Halcyon]

gotta catch you using it where i am - having it means nothing.

Fair enough, in AU it's illegal just to have one and people get caught here more often than one would think. Just having a radar detector (for detecting Police radar) attracts something like a $2500 on the spot fine and 9 points (out of 14) off your driving licence. Mind you, those radar detectors are pretty much useless in Australia so not quite sure why people bother.

[stj]

a Holden V8 and no numberplates probably works better