WATCH VIDEO: Google is now using DRONES for deliveries

Google Project Wing delivery drone takes flight

GOOGLE'S plans for its drone-based delivery service can be seen taking off in new video posted to Twitter.

 

Google has given us our first glimpse of its drone delivery system, dubbed Project Wing.

The airborne delivery system is the brainchild of Google’s secretive research arm, Google X.

The US technology firm this week posted a video of its drones on Twitter, which shows the Google gadgets flying through the skies above Arizona.

Google claims its latest drones are able to cover five miles in just five minutes.

 

The latest update comes after Google posted a clip of the drones flying through the Queensland skies to successfully deliver supplies to Australian farmers back in summer 2014.

Alongside the video of the test flight, Google posted a message hailing the drones as the next logical step in home delivery.

"Throughout history, major shifts in how we move goods from place to place have led to new opportunities for economic growth and generally made consumers’ lives easier," it read.

"From steam ships to the railroads, from the postal service to delivery services like FedEx and DHL, speed has reshaped society not only with greater convenience but also by making more goods accessible to more people.

"Self-flying vehicles could open up entirely new approaches to moving goods – including options that are cheaper, faster, less wasteful and more environmentally sensitive than what’s possible today."

Watching baby steps of drone delivery, courtesy of Google X (5 miles in 5 mins is the promise) #zg15 pic.twitter.com/Xk2KyTRURP

— Aaref Hilaly (@aaref) October 19, 2015

Google's prototype is based on a single-wing drone design and measures some 1.5 metres wide, or 5ft. 

Four adjustable propellers control the drone throughout its flight, moving accordingly to adjust its trajectory. 

Drone delivery recently came under threat by a Californian bill, which would have prohibited unmanned vehicles from flying 350 feet above property without property owners giving their permission first.

Fortunately for Google, the state bill was thrown out.

Google took Project Wing for a test-run in 2014

An early demo of Project Wing

The Consumer Electronics Association commented at the time: "Safe, responsible drone use will transform the way we do business — allowing these devices to assist in search and rescue and disaster relief missions, improve crop production and efficiency, and create safer work environments for infrastructure maintenance."

And it isn't just California which needs conniving about drones.

A recent British Airline Pilots Association survey highlighted that just over half of adults thought that drones pilots should have formal training, and that prison sentences should be imposed for endangering aircraft.