Wing - Alphabet's drone division, reveals plans for citywide logistics system

Delivery Network model emphasizes perpetual motion, demand-driven optimization

Wing's fleet of delivery drones will soon travel across entire cities in patterns that match consumer demand (Photo: Wing)

Highly innovative drone delivery services have been reluctant to enter urban environments, where delivering goods is more complicated than in rural or suburban areas. The logistics involved in avoiding tall buildings, people, and landing spots make urban drone delivery difficult. Despite these complexities, Wing, the drone delivery division of Alphabet, has released a blueprint for the creation of autonomous urban drone delivery networks.

The company's delivery strategy would more closely resemble that of last-mile delivery vans, with drones picking up and delivering orders and charging within the delivery network. The Wing Delivery Network will travel in patterns that correspond with consumer demand, meaning that drones may not return to their point of origin during the course of the day.

In the next twelve months, Wing's delivery network model will be implemented using the company's proprietary logistics automation software to assign drones to orders and identify take-off, landing, and charging locations. The system will also rely on a new hardware component called the Autoloader, which store employees will use to prepare orders for delivery by loading packages into the machine. By preparing packages for drone pickup, the Autoloader will allow store employees to streamline operations.

The success of the Wing Delivery Network depends on how the drones interact with the Autoloader, charging station, and landing pad ecosystem. With this strategy, Wing aims to make drone delivery as easy as using services like DoorDash or Uber Eats, minus the traffic and emissions.

A Wing drone hovers above an Autoloader staged in a parking lot (Photo: Wing)

Wing's drone delivery service is a more cost-effective alternative to ground transportation. By the middle of 2024, Wing CEO Adam Woodward predicts that the network will be able to handle tens of millions of small package deliveries made quickly. Despite the difficulties associated with drone delivery in urban areas, Wing has already implemented innovative solutions such as rooftop and parking lot pickup and drop-off locations.

In addition, the company has evaluated numerous aircraft prototypes, including large and small, light-duty and heavy-duty aircraft. It has already flown in densely populated metropolitan areas outside of Dallas-Fort Worth, Brisbane and Canberra, Australia, and Helsinki, Finland, achieving a top delivery speed of less than three minutes and a daily delivery record of more than 10,000 packages.

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