Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Sunday August 20 2017, @08:41PM   Printer-friendly
from the up-in-the-air-about-this dept.

Blimps and drones: a combination made in logistics heaven?

Amazon isn't the only retailer that's looking into drone delivery. Walmart appears to be working on a similar concept but its solution might be a bit different compared to Amazon's. Walmart has filed for a US patent for a floating blimp warehouse which will make delivers via drones. The idea is to have a floating warehouse up in the sky from where Walmart can instantly ship products to customers using drones.

According to the patent filing, the blimp-style floating warehouse would fly at heights between 500 and 1,000 feet. It will have multiple launch bays for sending drone deliveries. The blimp itself will either fly autonomously or be remotely controlled by a human pilot. This solution could help Walmart lower the cost of fulfilling online orders, cutting down on "last mile" costs to a customer's house which is normally handled by a logistics company.


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Monday August 21 2017, @05:57PM

    by bob_super (1357) on Monday August 21 2017, @05:57PM (#557140)

    The local gun shop sells a 50-cal for just over a grand. $5 a shot in packs of 100, range over a couple miles.
    Somehow foreign terrorists are too dumb to envision shooting planes down near US airports (crash on the city), but something blimp-sized with a Walmart logo? Doesn't matter how many bags are inside, the locals will ensure enough of them will quickly develop big leaks.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2