7-Eleven and drone delivery startup Flirtey have partnered up to make convenience stores all the more convenient. Earlier this month, Flirtey delivered a customer’s 7-Eleven order by drone to their home.
The drone delivery took place on July 10 in Reno, Nevada, the state where Flirtey is headquartered. The “historic milestone” as Flirtey calls it delivered goods from a 7-Eleven store to a local customer’s house in minutes. Flirtey’s drone autonomously toted a chicken sandwich, donuts, coffee, and 7-Eleven’s own Slurpee drink. Contents were lowered from a tether as the drone hovered in place over the customer’s backyard.
“My wife and I both work and have three small children ages 7, 6 and 1. The convenience of having access to instant, 24/7 drone delivery is priceless,” said Michael, a Reno resident who received the Flirtey delivery. “It’s amazing that a flying robot just delivered us food and drinks in a matter of minutes.”
Instead of customizing off-the-shelf drones for delivery, Flirtey develops its own drones for the job. Everything from the chassis to software to the package receptacle is proprietary.
7-Eleven and Flirtey intend to scale their drone delivery service, making it available to those who may not have convenient access to the chain’s stores.
“Drone delivery is the ultimate convenience for our customers and these efforts create enormous opportunities to redefine convenience,” said Chief Merchandising Officer of 7-Eleven, Jesus H. Delgado-Jenkins. “This delivery marks the first time a retailer has worked with a drone delivery company to transport immediate consumables from store to home. In the future, we plan to make the entire assortment in our stores available for delivery to customers in minutes. Our customers have demanding schedules, are on-the-go 24/7 and turn to us to help navigate the challenges of their daily lives. We look forward to working with Flirtey to deliver to our customers exactly what they need, whenever and wherever they need it.”
Earlier in June, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) defined new rules for companies that want to its drones for business. The regulations, while comprehensive, calls for humans to be the sole operators of drones. Pilots also have to keep their unmanned aircraft in sight at all times, regardless of first-person-view (FPV) technology. Quartz notes these regulations would make drone deliveries impractical if they’re to deliver anything very far. However, the FAA has hinted at altering its regulations for new drone ventures in the future. Michael Huerta, the administrator of the FAA, said the new regulations are a “first step.”
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