Your Drone-Delivered Coffee Is (Almost) Here


My comment on a recent WSJ article on trials of drone deliveries in Iceland and Australia

No alt text provided for this image

 Progress? Green? Convenient? Innovative? There are good and not so good demonstrations of the power of technology for the good of the human race. I posted a few months ago about the work Zipline International is doing delivering urgent blood supplies to remote clinics in Sub-Saharan Africa. That seems to tick all the boxes. However, delivering coffee by drone? The attached article relates to a test in Iceland, but the video is from a trial by @Alphabet Inc./@Google delivering coffee and Mexican food to the suburbs of Australia's capital, Canberra. A great field trial, but to me, it only proves one thing - I do not want hundreds of drone flights every day flying over the Cheshire countryside. If you want a great cup of coffee in 3 minutes at home, buy a kettle, some good beans and a cafetiere/French Press. Alternatively, walk to the nearest Costa/Starbucks/Nero or independent coffee shop and talk to your neighbours. If you want a milky, frothy, sickly concoction - get a life! I am very positive about the impact technology has had and will have in the future on our lives, but please, big (and small) tech - let's think of things that really add value to the human race and can save our planet.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5G is coming: What to expect and why

Image
I received a very interesting email from IDTechEx this morning - one of many I get and usually do not have time to read. However, the title "5G is coming: What to expect and why" caught my eye so I did read it and found it very interesting. Having worked at the vanguard of 2.5G/3G mobile data communications in the early 2000s, it all seems very familiar in terms of the technological standards and challenges and, most importantly, the challenge of adoption rates, investment requirements and what the "killer apps" will be.  The article gives a good overview of the type of opportunities which could be addressed by 5G and other emerging communications technologies, from smart buildings to asset tracking, medical diagnostics, virtual reality and autonomous vehicles.  However, as with all enabling technologies, the secret to success and adoption will be creating unique and differentiating business solutions and business models that can exploit the technology. B
Read more