Google unveils drone to deliver aid to remote areas

Google has revealed it has built and tested flying drones that it hopes will be used to deliver aid following natural disasters.

Project Wing has been running for two years as part of Google X, the company's technology research arm that also created its self-driving car, but was only made public on Thursday.

The technology giant tested the drone in Queensland, Australia, earlier this month, flying chocolate bars, dog treats, cattle vaccines, water and radios to people. In total, 30 successful delivery flights of about 1km were made over the course of a week. Google said it had selected these items We'd selected these items 'based on several conversations with local people - ranging from emergency services teams to fire crews to farmers - about how aerial delivery might help them in their jobs'.

'The first delivery flight took off carrying Cherry Ripe chocolate bars to its planned destination: a farm about 1km away. Within minutes, the vehicle arrived, hovered overhead and gently lowered the package to the ground. When [the farmer] retrieved the package, he was delighted to find one of his favorite snacks, something he'd usually purchase in town nearly 10km away,' Google said.

'Once the vehicle departed, he radioed to the team and requested treats for his farm dogs, who were a bit jealous they'd been left out. Shortly after he made the call, the vehicle was back over his farm, lowering a parcel with the dog treats.'

Using four rotor blades, the vehicle hovers up to 60 metres above 'common obstacles' while flying, so it would not collide with power lines, trees or houses. According to a graphic produced by Google, the drone has a wingspan of 1.5 metres and is 0.8 metres long, with a small compartment on the bottom that is used to transport goods.

Google plans to eventually use the vehicles provide disaster relief to remote areas inaccessible more conventional means, but admits it could also make everyday life easier, too.

'Think of the mom stuck at home with two sick kids, the hiker who's met a poisonous snake, or the farmer out in the field with a sick animal,' it said.

The company said it plans to focus on four key areas over the next year:

Safety systems - we'll teach vehicles to navigate around each other (this is called 'detect and avoid') and to handle events like mechanical trouble safelyPrecise navigation - we have to fly efficient delivery routes that respect constraints such as noise, privacy, and safety of those on the ground, and we have to be good enough to deliver to an exact spot the size of a doorstepReducing the noise of the vehiclesAn end-to-end delivery system

Google eventually wants to launch multiple vehicles that make many deliveries every day depending on a consumer's needs

'Over time there will be many different vehicle types and shapes: what you want to deliver and where and why will determine what vehicle you want to use.'