Drones to deliver pizzas?

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Press Trust of India Washington
Last Updated : Jun 05 2013 | 3:40 PM IST
Flying pizza! Don't be surprised if next time a drone instead of a delivery boy brings a hot, delicious pizza to your doorstep.
American restaurant chain Domino's Pizza is testing the feasibility of octocopter drones to deliver pizzas.
The delivery is masterminded by T + Biscuits, an English creative agency that was hired to test prototypes.
Branded as the DomiCopter, the current prototype can deliver two, large pizzas in about ten minutes within a six km radius of the store.
While future versions could hypothetically use GPS coordinates to deliver the pie, the existing model is piloted from the ground by someone experienced in drone flight, Fox News quoted Digital Trends as reporting.
The DomiCopter has eight spinning blades and includes the standard thermal insulation bag that's carried around by Domino's Pizza delivery drivers.
Developed by a company called Aerosight, this type of drone is primarily used for capturing broadcast quality video with cameras.
No flying permits are needed to operate the drone up to 126 metres off the ground, according to NBC News; only permission of the landowner is required.
"If anything, it went quicker than a pizza boy," T + Biscuits founder Tom Hatton said.
"We were amazed at how easy it was going to be," Hatton said, referencing the time required to navigate roads as well as stop at red lights.
According to Hatton, other names previously batted around for the DomiCopter included the 'Pepperdroney' and the 'Flyin' Hawaiian'.
After proving the concept with the first drone flight, the DomiCopter has been delivered to Domino's UK headquarters for further testing.
Domino's UK management haven't announced any plans to roll out a test of drone deliveries at Domino's pizza locations in the UK or US.
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First Published: Jun 05 2013 | 3:40 PM IST

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