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> The FAA authorized Zipline International, Inc., to deliver commercial packages around Salt Lake City and Bentonville Is there something about the geography o

> The FAA authorized Zipline International, Inc., to deliver commercial packages around Salt Lake City and Bentonville Is there something about the geography or climate of these two places that made them the right choice to be the testbeds for this platform?

despideme 3y ago
Walmart is based in Bentonville. e.g.: https://corporate.walmart.com/news/2020/09/14/walmart-and-zipline-team-up-to-bring-first-of-its-kind-drone-delivery-service-to-the-united-states https://corporate.walmart.com/news/2020/09/14/walmart-and-zi...
pm90 3y ago
I think it’s just the sites close to customers. Bentonville is likely for Walmart.
- kube-system 3y ago
  And SLC is for their other customer, Intermountain Healthcare https://www.deseret.com/2022/10/4/23385813/drone-delivery-intermountain-healthcare-zipline-utah-south-jordan https://www.deseret.com/2022/10/4/23385813/drone-delivery-in...
hindsightbias 3y ago
Salt Lake is a super grid with a street naming convention that only a drone could love. Northwest South 1st East Street. Not sure the rotors would be optimal at that altitude though. Walmartville might also be problematic with all those shotguns. Bird dogs may not be optimal at retrieving quadcopters. Would make a good SNL skit.
- eliaspro 3y ago
  The Zipline Sparrow isn't a quadcopter, but a fixed-wing aircraft: https://amablog.modelaircraft.org/amamuseum/2023/08/11/ziplines-sparrow-on-display/ https://amablog.modelaircraft.org/amamuseum/2023/08/11/zipli...
  - yurishimo 3y ago
    But it can stop and hover in place right? In that regard, it's still a sitting duck for people who want to cause problems. Though granted, the likelihood that someone from a neighborhood who wants to do something like that using the service seems unlikely...
    - eliaspro 3y ago
      No, it can't stop in place. It drops its payload on a parachute quite accurately.
      - singularity2001 3y ago
        in the video, the new concept drone does indeed stop above the delivery point
        marcosdumay 3y ago
        The concept drone is a VTOL capable fixed wing aircraft. The one that got licensed is the catapult-launched fixed wing one.
- dahart 3y ago
  > Northwest South 1st East Street Where are you getting this? I don’t believe there’s any such named street or naming convention like this in Salt Lake. Google Maps appears to agree, since it can’t find that street. There are addresses that Google reports using naming conventions from other cities, which makes things a little confusing. But locals use Cartesian coordinates for most addresses, it couldn’t be simpler, e.g., 1259 east 900 north (fake address, real naming convention).
  - hindsightbias 3y ago
    > 1259 east 900 north If you're a robot. Imagine driving around at night before smartphone apps and trying to find a place.
    - patch_collector 3y ago
      Drive north (mountains on your right) until you get to 900 North, take a right, and drive down until you get to #1259. As opposed to finding 'Oak Terrace', when a map book has 4 pages of 'Oak St' and its variants (a problem I ran into pre-GPS in Orlando)
    - dahart 3y ago
      It was easier to navigate at night in Salt Lake before smartphones than almost any other city. You still don’t need a smartphone today to find addresses by their coordinates, it’s dead easy. You can instantly tell which direction to drive and how far away it is by the address too. I do not understand why you think a simple grid with predictable coordinates is difficult. What naming system or city layout do you think is easier? One of Salt Lake’s defining features is how much easier addresses are than other cities. “Though the nomenclature may initially confuse new arrivals and visitors, most consider the grid system an aid to navigation.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Lake_City#Layout https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Lake_City#Layout

despideme 3y ago

Walmart is based in Bentonville. e.g.: https://corporate.walmart.com/news/2020/09/14/walmart-and-zipline-team-up-to-bring-first-of-its-kind-drone-delivery-service-to-the-united-states https://corporate.walmart.com/news/2020/09/14/walmart-and-zi...

pm90 3y ago

I think it’s just the sites close to customers. Bentonville is likely for Walmart.

kube-system 3y ago
And SLC is for their other customer, Intermountain Healthcare https://www.deseret.com/2022/10/4/23385813/drone-delivery-intermountain-healthcare-zipline-utah-south-jordan https://www.deseret.com/2022/10/4/23385813/drone-delivery-in...

hindsightbias 3y ago

Salt Lake is a super grid with a street naming convention that only a drone could love. Northwest South 1st East Street. Not sure the rotors would be optimal at that altitude though. Walmartville might also be problematic with all those shotguns. Bird dogs may not be optimal at retrieving quadcopters. Would make a good SNL skit.

eliaspro 3y ago
The Zipline Sparrow isn't a quadcopter, but a fixed-wing aircraft: https://amablog.modelaircraft.org/amamuseum/2023/08/11/ziplines-sparrow-on-display/ https://amablog.modelaircraft.org/amamuseum/2023/08/11/zipli...
- yurishimo 3y ago
  But it can stop and hover in place right? In that regard, it's still a sitting duck for people who want to cause problems. Though granted, the likelihood that someone from a neighborhood who wants to do something like that using the service seems unlikely...
  - eliaspro 3y ago
    No, it can't stop in place. It drops its payload on a parachute quite accurately.
    - singularity2001 3y ago
      in the video, the new concept drone does indeed stop above the delivery point
      - marcosdumay 3y ago
        The concept drone is a VTOL capable fixed wing aircraft. The one that got licensed is the catapult-launched fixed wing one.
dahart 3y ago
> Northwest South 1st East Street Where are you getting this? I don’t believe there’s any such named street or naming convention like this in Salt Lake. Google Maps appears to agree, since it can’t find that street. There are addresses that Google reports using naming conventions from other cities, which makes things a little confusing. But locals use Cartesian coordinates for most addresses, it couldn’t be simpler, e.g., 1259 east 900 north (fake address, real naming convention).
- hindsightbias 3y ago
  > 1259 east 900 north If you're a robot. Imagine driving around at night before smartphone apps and trying to find a place.
  - patch_collector 3y ago
    Drive north (mountains on your right) until you get to 900 North, take a right, and drive down until you get to #1259. As opposed to finding 'Oak Terrace', when a map book has 4 pages of 'Oak St' and its variants (a problem I ran into pre-GPS in Orlando)
  - dahart 3y ago
    It was easier to navigate at night in Salt Lake before smartphones than almost any other city. You still don’t need a smartphone today to find addresses by their coordinates, it’s dead easy. You can instantly tell which direction to drive and how far away it is by the address too. I do not understand why you think a simple grid with predictable coordinates is difficult. What naming system or city layout do you think is easier? One of Salt Lake’s defining features is how much easier addresses are than other cities. “Though the nomenclature may initially confuse new arrivals and visitors, most consider the grid system an aid to navigation.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Lake_City#Layout https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Lake_City#Layout