4 ms·

Could these be used for last mile transportation? As a way to deliver a letter, or perhaps even a pizza, at least during nice weather?

sliverstorm 16y ago
I don't see why not, but there'd be a payload weight limit, and if popularity increased, you'd need some kind of routing system to keep bots from colliding.
- asynchronous13 16y ago
  You are correct that these issues need to be addressed, the FAA already has a system in place to prevent aerial collisions of commercial and private planes. I'm sure the existing regulations can be modified to be more suitable for uavs and city-scale flight patterns. For example, stay at odd-hundred elevation for north and east travel and stay at even-hundred for south and west travel.
Devilboy 16y ago
Probably not anytime soon. The technology is there but it's going to be almost impossible to clear the legal hurdles. Currently you can fly these things as a hobby but you have to be within visual range at all times and there's all sorts of problems when flying near people or buildings. We can't even get robotic vehicles on the roads yet, it's going to be a long time before we see them flying though our suburbs.
- netcan 16y ago
  A robotic car is big and heavy. A robotic pizza delivery blimp might be relatively harmless even if it falls on your head, especially if it stays just above pizza snatching height.
  - Devilboy 16y ago
    Why is a robotic car big and heavy? Surely you'll be delivering pizza via Segway-bots long before you use stuff that flies through the air!
    - rsheridan6 16y ago
      I wouldn't want to get hit by a Segway bot, or have it cause wrecks in traffic if its AI wasn't near-perfect. But a pizza-box sized bot that stuck to sidewalks could work. A car could just run over it without harm (except to the bot).
    - netcan 16y ago
      Segway pizza bot would get mugged. They also have to go the long way around, avoid cars pedestrians, dogs, obey some rules. A flying pizza delivery bot could pretty much keep 10 ft away from anything.

sliverstorm 16y ago

I don't see why not, but there'd be a payload weight limit, and if popularity increased, you'd need some kind of routing system to keep bots from colliding.

asynchronous13 16y ago
You are correct that these issues need to be addressed, the FAA already has a system in place to prevent aerial collisions of commercial and private planes. I'm sure the existing regulations can be modified to be more suitable for uavs and city-scale flight patterns. For example, stay at odd-hundred elevation for north and east travel and stay at even-hundred for south and west travel.

Devilboy 16y ago

Probably not anytime soon. The technology is there but it's going to be almost impossible to clear the legal hurdles. Currently you can fly these things as a hobby but you have to be within visual range at all times and there's all sorts of problems when flying near people or buildings. We can't even get robotic vehicles on the roads yet, it's going to be a long time before we see them flying though our suburbs.

netcan 16y ago
A robotic car is big and heavy. A robotic pizza delivery blimp might be relatively harmless even if it falls on your head, especially if it stays just above pizza snatching height.
- Devilboy 16y ago
  Why is a robotic car big and heavy? Surely you'll be delivering pizza via Segway-bots long before you use stuff that flies through the air!
  - rsheridan6 16y ago
    I wouldn't want to get hit by a Segway bot, or have it cause wrecks in traffic if its AI wasn't near-perfect. But a pizza-box sized bot that stuck to sidewalks could work. A car could just run over it without harm (except to the bot).
  - netcan 16y ago
    Segway pizza bot would get mugged. They also have to go the long way around, avoid cars pedestrians, dogs, obey some rules. A flying pizza delivery bot could pretty much keep 10 ft away from anything.