The new generation Zipline P2 Zip has an adorable little helper

The new generation Zipline P2 Zip has an adorable little helper that’s just enough to ensure a very accurate and quiet delivery.

In 2013, former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos predicted that aircraft from Prime Air, then a fledgling drone delivery subsidiary, would be flying the skies within the next four or five years. Ten years later, the service is very far from reality. But some specialized startups have done better. Among them is Zipline, which he said could complete its first million deliveries before the end of the year. By 2025, the company expects to handle more flights than most airlines, which it says will be made possible by the next-generation Platform 2 or P2 Zip drone.

The new generation Zipline P2 Zip has an adorable little helper

This latest Zipline model consists of two autonomous vehicles that work together perfectly to deliver parcels weighing up to 3.6kg. The first is a drone that can cover 16 km in about 10 minutes. When it arrives at its destination, P2 Zip hovering about 300 feet above the ground and launching its little helper, an adorable “fully autonomous delivery droid”. The latter goes down the cable – hence the name Zipline – and brings in your package. According to Zipline, the P2 Zip is very quiet in flight, making the noise of leaves in the wind, according to the company, and very accurate, thanks to its droid companion, when delivering packages to tables on the terrace or up the steps. door. Zipline CEO Keller Rinaudo Clifton

Enough to ensure very accurate and silent delivery

For long distance delivery, the P2 Zip can travel up to 38 km from one station to another, reloading and/or changing cargo. The charging station looks like something out of science fiction, with a hatch for a small droid and a sort of net to catch the drone in case something goes wrong. The company told CNBC that installing a P2 Zip station takes almost as long as installing an electric vehicle charger. She already represents restaurants and hospitals setting them up for fast delivery of food and medicine.

Ziplien already has several customers willing to test the P2 Zip, including the Sweetgreen restaurant chain, Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City, Michigan Medicine and Multicare Healthcare in Washington State. Before these companies get access to these drones in the next few months, the startup plans to conduct more than 10,000 test flights with around 100 drones.