World-first as Google Wing drones deliver for DoorDash

Wing launched commercially in 2019 and currently allows for the delivery of packages that weigh less than 1.5 kilograms from a variety of shops that sell household and perishable goods, including coffees and sandwiches.

It currently operates in the ACT, Logan, and will soon move into Ipswich and the Gold Coast.

In common Wing fashion, the new services will begin their initial services in select suburbs of Logan, allowing eligible DoorDash customers to order items ranging from grocery, convenience, snacks, household and more.

The rollout, which won’t initially include ‘fast-food’ items, will begin this week.

Suburbs include Berrinba, Browns Plains, Crestmead, Heritage Park, Kingston, Logan Central, Marsden, Regents Park, and Waterford West, with surrounding areas to follow in the coming months.

Adding drone delivery to its food delivery service is a major first for DoorDash, which finds competition in the likes of food delivery titans such as MenuLog and Uber Eats, both of which have greater market share in Australia.

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“We cannot be more excited to be at the forefront of drone deliveries,” said DoorDash Australia general manager Rebecca Burrows.

“Wing affords our customers the convenience and speed of air travel deliveries of the local products and brands they know and love.

“Drone delivery can provide an excellent complement to our ground delivery services. Delivery drones create a quick, efficient delivery option for smaller orders weighing just over a kilo and free up ground delivery services for larger deliveries that provide better compensation to drivers.

“This partnership will bring the most popular delivery bundles that customers can expect to receive in less than 15 minutes.  Whether it’s Vegemite and butter, iced coffee, corn chips and salsa, baby food and even band-aids, this will make accessing those last-minute necessities a whole lot easier.”

Both consumers and merchants are set to benefit from the partnership, allowing a greater number of businesses to sell their products to a wider audience much faster than a typical delivery driver would.

Wing started life in 2012 as one of the first projects at the tech giant’s super-secretive research lab, Google X, alongside its augmented reality eyeglasses and self-driving cars. It launched its first trials in 2018 before starting more commercial flights the following year in both Canberra and Logan.

Once a customer submits an order via the app, the drone flies to pick up the package at the designated delivery centre before climbing to a cruise height of 45 metres and flying to the destination.

Once there, it hovers and lowers the package to the ground, automatically unclipping the parcel without assistance from the customer.

The business now conducts more deliveries in Australia than in any other country and has previously dubbed Logan the “drone delivery capital of the world”.

Wing initially only worked with stores that were based in its own large distribution centres but advanced to flying from the roofs of shopping malls and then Coles car parks.