Delivery drone

A delivery drone, is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) utilized to transport packages, food or other goods.

In the United States initial attempts at commercial use of UAVs, such as the Tacocopter company for food delivery, were blocked by FAA regulation. As of 2015, delivering of packages with drones in the United States is not permitted. On the 13th March 2015, in Sheffield, FPS Distribution completed the first commercial delivery using a UAV.

UAVs can transport medicines and vaccines, and retrieve medical samples, into and out of remote or otherwise inaccessible regions. "Ambulance drones" rapidly deliver defibrillators in the crucial few minutes after cardiac arrests, and include livestream communication capability allowing paramedics to remotely observe and instruct on-scene individuals in how to use the defibrillators.

In July 2015, the FAA approved the first such use of a drone within the United States, to deliver medicine to a rural Virginia medical clinic in a program called "Let's Fly Wisely."

Drug cartels have used UAVs to transport contraband, sometimes using GPS-guided UAVs.

From 2013 and 2015, UAVs were observed delivering items into prisons on at least four occasions in the United States while four separate but similar incidents occurred in Ireland, Britain, Australia and Canada as well. Though not a popular way of smuggling items into prisons, corrections officials state that some individuals are beginning to experiment with UAVs.

In November 2013, four people in Morgan, Georgia were arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle contraband into Calhoun State Prison with a six-rotor remote controlled helicopter. The suspects were found with "probably about one or two pounds of tobacco rolled up".

In 2014 a quadcopter crashed into an exercise yard of Wheatfield Prison, Dublin. The quadcopter collided with wires designed to prevent helicopters landing to aid escapes, causing it to crash. A package containing drugs hung from the quadcopter and was seized by prisoners before prison staff could get to it. The damaged quadcopter was handed over to an Garda Síochána.

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Wikipedia