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Because a particular vision of the future requires everything that can be done to be done via "Flying X." Even if they're literally worse at everything than th
by Syonyk 5y ago
Because a particular vision of the future requires everything that can be done to be done via "Flying X." Even if they're literally worse at everything than the alternatives, cost more, are less reliable, etc.
We've had flying cars almost as long as heavier than air flight - they're not some future tech that has yet to be invented, as much as everyone pretends that they're some magical thing just around the corner. We've had them for over 100 years, and they've sucked as cars, and sucked as airplanes for 100 years. Any materials breakthrough that will "make flying cars possible and too cheap to meter!" can also easily be applied to both cars and airplanes to make them better (see carbon fiber).
Drone delivery is worse than wheeled delivery in just about every option, but "flying is the future," so people have gone down that path, dorking around with it for a few years (which, honestly, sounds like a ton of fun). The results end up being quite reliable, which is "There is no way in hell we can actually make this work in any practical, economical sense."
- munk-a 5y agoI don't really agree that wheeled delivery is superior when you start to consider how dangerous and varied sidewalks can be - does your wheeled vehicle have the ability to easily manuver stairs or circular stairs? Can it make it over sidewalk fringes without issue - what about when there is snow and ice everywhere? Do you want your drones to have to navigate the social interactions required to ask someone for right of way on a sidewalk or avoid getting in the way (and tripping) a couple that's moving a couch? I think that when you think of sidewalks you're thinking of how they look in your town (assuming you actually have sidewalks) they look quite different in different areas - in the southwest they're wide, expansive and quite level - in new england they're broken frequently by tree roots and frost heaves and, honestly, frequently just don't exist at all in a lot of the cities. I do agree that people fetishize "Flying X" but saying that drones are worse than wheels in just about every way is pretty ridiculously hyperbolic - they have tradeoffs and it's quite possible that the market winner will be whoever sends out a van with wheeled delivery vehicles for most runs that can call in a drone if it runs into difficulties.
- matkoniecz 5y ago> Even if they're literally worse at everything than the alternatives, cost more, are less reliable, etc. Drones may be better for very quick delivery or where road network is very poor. See https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28070084 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28070084 with amazing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEbRVNxL44c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEbRVNxL44c (delivery of medical supplies in Rwanda) and mentions ship-to-ship transport.