Some lucky Arizona residents and visitors can now enjoy food delivery by drone.
Flyby Robotics has launched its first delivery-by-drone trial run in Mesa after raising $4 million in seed investment funding.
Photo: Flyby Robotics
Flyby Robotics has partnered with several Mesa restaurants, including Nekter Juice Bar, MAD Greens, Tokyo Joe’s and Popadelics, to kickstart the trial. The drone system is designed to uphold food quality during the entire flight and delivery.
Flyby is quickly transforming the future of food delivery service by unlocking labor-saving technology. Drones fly above traffic and take the quickest route to their destinations, which allows Flyby to average a four-minute delivery time. Not only are drones faster, they also decrease expensive delivery fees.
“You don’t have to be a multibillion-dollar corporation or global military superpower to reap the economic benefits of autonomous drones,” says Jason Lu, founder and CEO of Flyby Robotics. “Our AI-powered autonomous systems allow any merchant to dramatically reduce the cost of delivery to their customers.”
Just like Uber Eats, DoorDash, GrubHub and Postmates, customers order directly through the app. During the live trial, customers within a one-mile radius of participating restaurants can place an order for just $3.
After placing an order, Flyby calls each customer when the order takes flight. The app guides each customer to watch their surroundings and communicates visual markers to the drone pilot. Flyby instructs customers to not hang up until the order is delivered and to maintain a safe distance from the drone.
“Flyby’s entrance into the Mesa market further enhances the Greater Phoenix region’s vision to be the smartest and most connected region not only in the United States but across the world,” says Dr. Diana Bowman, associate dean and professor at Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and co-director at Arizona State University’s Center of Smart Cities and Regions.
Customers who live nearby the participating restaurants in Mesa can now download the Flyby app to place drone delivery orders.
