Wing has taken the wraps off its secret testing facility in Australia. The Alphabet-owned firm shared a video showing how its team continues to upgrade its drone technology while at the same time running trial services delivering packages to residents near Brisbane.
Wing’s delivery service customers can order items with the help of an app. When the drone arrives, it lowers the package to the ground using a tether before flying back to base. While the company has been working at very limited locations in the US and Finland in the last few years, most of its research and testing has been done at various locations in Australia, where the authorities aren’t very strict towards such services.
Testing facility for all drones
“We obviously want to bring that to the U.S.,” Tony, a Wing flight test engineer, says in the video. “And so one of the focuses of the flight test team this year has been on type certification [certifying the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft]. Using this facility to exercise the durability and reliability cycles among other components we hope will eventually lead to us receiving type certification in the U.S.”
The test facility shown in the video is called “48-pad array,” and has a setup that features multiple launches and landing pads that enable the team to test several flights simultaneously. The video also offers a peek at the company’s Ground Control Station, which acts as an air traffic control facility so personnel can confirm the precise whereabouts of the drones as move to and from delivery locations.
Helpful in emergency situations
The video also gives a glimpse of the “Nestlet,” a shipping container that holds all the required equipment to allow the company to set up a drone-delivery facility within 24 hours. The ability to set up a lightweight drone in less than a day could come in handy during emergency situations such as the aftermath of earthquakes or floods, where people find it difficult to get supplies.
Wing appears to be making good progress with its service in Australia, as it has carried out more than 100,000 delivery flights this year itself. In the coming days, the engineers will be upgrading the delivery drone for more efficient flights and will be seeking a nod from authorities to take them beyond the testing phase.
