Using an app, you order a new mobile phone on Amazon or a burger from your favorite restaurant.
Your package gently drops to the ground, and the drone flies off.
And its being led by retail behemoths Amazon, Walmart, and a slew of food delivery companies.
In June, Amazon announced plans to launch deliveries inLockeford, California, andCollege Station, Texas.
Residents choose items up to a total of 2.26 kg (4lb) in weight.
The items will be packed at nearby warehouses and dropped in backyards.
This creates the capacity to deliver over 1 million packages by drone in a year.
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And in Granbury, Texas, and three cities in North Carolina, drone operatorsFlytrexare delivering restaurant food.
Inner urban areas are already crowded with ebike food, grocery, and medical delivery services.
There have only been a few case-by-case exemptions.
For example, in June, drone operatorZiplinereceivedpart135 certificationto deliver medications.
However, earlier this month, the White House hosted asummit on advanced air mobility.
It was attended by drone and VTOL operators.
How can you model safety and autonomy if you dont crew operations in the first place?
Amazon Prime Air drones can detect both static and moving objects, and make autonomous decisions.
An example is rerouting past an obstacle, such as another drone.
This is a game changer for the future of drone deliveries.
But are delivery drones financially viable?
Currently, delivery companies likeWing(funded by Alphabet) are in a great space to innovate.
They can absorb the costs and growing pains into their whole infrastructure internet.
But how economically viable are single deliveries by a single drone?
Walmarts $3.99 drone delivery price seems vastly underpaid considering the cost of drone infrastructure.
41% would not be willing to pay an extra fee, while 41% up to $10.
Only 18% were willing to pay more than $10.
I also spoke to hardware companyA2Z Drone DeliveryCEO Aaron Zhang.
Where are the subsidies for drones?
Subsidies would go a long way in advancing R&D and mainstreaming drone deliveries.
Its likely to stay this way for a while.
As Bash notes: In the US, youve got more than 82 million backyards.
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin.
