Walmart, Alphabet to Test Six-Mile Drone Deliveries
- Project boosts aerial range capabilities for the retailer
- Service will be offered at two stores in the Dallas area
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Walmart Inc. is planning its longest drone deliveries yet by teaming up with Alphabet Inc.’s Wing unit at two Dallas-area stores.
The Wing drones will be able to drop off food and household essentials as far as six miles from the stores, Prathibha Rajashekhar, senior vice president of innovation and automation at Walmart’s US unit, said in a statement Thursday. Wing has approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly its drones beyond their human operators’ visual line of sight, but with an important caveat: A spotter is still required to look out for any nearby planes that lack the ability to transmit their location.