Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
Project Wing is developing a system that uses self-flying vehicles for the delivery of goods.
THE HISTORY OF THE PROJECT
Late 2011
Throughout 2013
July 2012
Nick Roy joins from MIT Aeronautics & Astronautics, tasked with
exploring what a project in this area might look like.
August 2014
THE TECHNOLOGY
FIXED WING
ROTORS
THE POTENTIAL
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 whats possible today.
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. 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.
And when you can get something near-instantly, it changes how you
think about it. Think of the mom stuck at home with two sick kids, the
hiker whos met a poisonous snake, or the farmer out in the field with
a sick animal. It could also open up new models for sharing goods
rather than owning them who needs a power drill for more than
eight minutes a year?
Furthermore, theres a lot of friction in how we do things currently
double-parked delivery trucks clog city streets, traffic jams choke the
fast-growing cities of Africa and Asia. And have you ever thought about
how environmentally unfriendly it is to send a 2000kg car across town
with a 2kg package of food?
And thats just in the parts of the world that have good roads; e.g., only
13% of Perus roads are paved (World Bank 20131). In mountainous
regions, winding roads and bad weather pose obstacles. After floods
and earthquakes, its difficult for emergency workers to deliver
batteries, medical supplies, and cell phones to people who need them.
In a surprising number of situations, small, inexpensive delivery vehicles
that can fly as the crow flies could be a powerful new option.
Trafficjamdelhi by NOMAD2