Drones to robots: Pandemic fuels US autonomous delivery

An aerial drone delivering a package to a home in Virginia, US. As with other autonomous delivery services, both airborne and terrestrial, Wing has seen a major uptick in interest amid the coronavirus pandemic, as emergency regulations keep people at home and complicate many of the simplest tasks. — Wing/Handout

WASHINGTON: Cough medicine, snacks, baking ingredients: Kelly Passek has shopping delivered weekly to her yard in Christiansburg, Virginia – by a drone.

The flying vehicle comes with little fuss, hovering briefly over her yard and letting down its package. "It's very fast – even the noise you hear is no more than 30 seconds," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.