Flirtey, a pioneer of the commercial drone delivery, has unveiled the Flirtey Eagle, along with a video of the next-generation delivery drone performing consumer and automated external defibrillator (AED) deliveries to homes.
Flirtey’s system is designed to safely get packages to customers with the delivery goal of less than 10 minutes using drones.
Along with the Flirtey Eagle, the aircraft designer and manufacturer unveiled the Flirtey Portal, a sophisticated takeoff and landing platform that enables scalable store-to-door operations. Also part of the system is an autonomous software platform that enables drones to deliver safely to American homes.
Flirtey said it is on course to conduct drone deliveries to U.S. homes as early as 2019.
Here are highlights of the UAV’s technology.
- Flirtey’s aircraft is designed to operate in 95% of wind and weather conditions, making it highly reliable for flight.
- The Flirtey Eagle is designed to fit 75% of packages that get delivered to its customers’ homes during last-mile deliveries.
- The Flirtey Eagle safely and precisely delivers its contents by lowering a tether, while the drone is suspended in air, and once the package is delivered, it then retracts the tether.
- Flirtey’s aircraft is controlled by its autonomous software platform, which has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for the first multi-drone delivery operation in the United States, enabling a single remote pilot to simultaneously oversee ten Flirtey drones.
- Flirtey’s Portal is a sophisticated takeoff and landing platform that fits into one parking space, making its infrastructure easily scalable to the company’s partners for store-to-door delivery.
Flirtey’s drone delivery technology has been developed from the ground up, originating from NASA’s drone program. Flirtey Founder and CEO Matthew Sweeny has brought together a team of aviation industry veterans from NASA, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and SpaceX, as well as military veterans from the army, navy, and air force.
The Flirtey Eagle with Flirtey’s Founder and CEO, Matthew Sweeny. (Photo: Flirtey)
“We expect Flirtey’s advanced drone delivery system will become the industry standard in America,” said Matthew Sweeny, Flirtey founder and CEO. “Flirtey’s latest technology makes life-saving and commercial drone delivery to homes in the United States an imminent reality.”
The Flirtey Eagle builds upon the advanced technologies developed for Flirtey’s previous generation aircraft that conducted the first Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-approved drone delivery in the United States, which is going on display alongside the Wright Flyer in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Flirtey’s goal is to not only meet, but to surpass the rigorous safety standards of the FAA. Flirtey’s regulatory approvals include:
- Approval to conduct multi-drone delivery operations, enabling a single remote pilot to simultaneously oversee 10 Flirtey drones
- Approval to conduct drone delivery flights beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), enabling Flirtey to conduct drone delivery operations with a pilot controlling the flights from a remote location
- Approval to conduct drone delivery flights at night, making drone delivery accessible at any time
Flirtey and the City of Reno were chosen for the FAA and Department of Transportation’s Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Integration Pilot Program (IPP). Within the IPP, Flirtey and the City of Reno have partnered with REMSA, local emergency medical services provider, to deliver AEDs to those in need. Flirtey’s AED delivery technology has the potential to save 150,000 lives per year, the company said.
Based on demand from customers, Flirtey expects demand initially to outstrip supply. Flirtey’s drone delivery system was designed from the outset to meet the anticipated high demand.