Nice design work! Will probably fly with one motor out. I’ll bet it is really hard to hijack one of these, too.
Great PR to concentrate on the emergency delivery of defibrillators.
Any drone that can find you to deliver a new pair of shoes can find you to deliver anything the drone driver wishes. Kaboom!
We are on the verge of an era where we will view manned aircraft the way we now view Sopwith Camels.
The only problem I can foresee with taking drones into disaster areas with goods is the people on the receiving end. Most times people become ravenous and disparaged for some type of help that all civility gets thrown out the window. People push shove and god knows what else now to get much needed aid. Drones will only exacerbate the problem should they not be accompanied by some sort of human interaction.
Look at it this way, you are in need of some aid from the disaster du jour. You here the whirling of a drone and your heart is lifted as much needed help is coming towards you. The drone doesn’t descend it flies past and over you with the food you been hoping for for the last four days. Your heart sinks, your nightmare just got worse. However, if the drone lands you are happy. And when you see another human face to come help you are even happier. Because seeing a human face there to help means someone cares and no drone could ever replace that.
Drones may be a welcome respite in the beginning but boots on the ground is still better than wings in the air when it comes in the form of aid relief. Drones are only a partial solution. Human interaction will and always be needed. A human face in the time of disaster means so much.
Here is WSJ story:
http://online.wsj.com/articles/google-reveals-delivery-drone-project-1409274480?mod=trending_now_1
Google autonomous aerial vehicles named UIS (up in smoke).