Zipline's new autonomous drone system is capable of quiet, fast and precise home delivery

Zipline has unveiled a new drone delivery platform delivering up to 7 times as fast as traditional automobile delivery, completing 10-mile deliveries in about 10 minutes.

Unlike other drone delivery services, Zipline’s drones (called Zips) fly more than 300 feet above the ground and are nearly inaudible. When the Zip arrives at its destination, it hovers safely and quietly at that altitude, while its fully autonomous delivery droid manoeuvres down a tether, steers to the correct location, and gently drops off its package to areas as small as a patio table or the front steps of a home.

The company says several businesses across the healthcare and restaurant sectors have already signed up to use its new home drone delivery service. For example, Sweetgreen is partnering with Zipline to further its mission of connecting people to real food in the U.S., while moving a step closer to its pledge to be carbon-neutral by 2027. By ordering through Zipline's marketplace, Sweetgreen customers can get their orders using 97% less energy than traditional automotive methods.

The company, which delivers blood, vaccines, and other medical equipment in Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, the US, and Japan using drones, claims to have completed more deliveries in 2022 than in all previous years combined, with plans to complete about 1 million deliveries by the end of 2023.