Wing drone delivery teams up with DoorDash in Australia

Together, DoorDash and Alphabet’s Wing will make it easier for people to have their purchases delivered to them by drone. A limited percentage of DoorDash customers in Logan, Australia, will be able to purchase certain convenience and supermarket goods using the DoorDash app starting this week. A Wing drone will deliver the items, usually, in 15 minutes or less, the company claims.

The procedure resembles a standard DoorDash delivery in many ways. For starters, in Berrinba, Browns Plains, Crestmead, Heritage Park, Kingston, Logan Central, Marsden, Regents Park, and Waterford West, the app’s “DoorDash Air” carousel emphasizes the products that qualify for Wing drone delivery.

Perhaps the only significant distinction is that customers who buy by drone will be required to choose a delivery area in the app where their box can be securely dropped from the drone once it arrives, in contrast to a typical DoorDash delivery.

The DoorDash agreement is a step toward expanding Wing’s infrastructure so that its delivery service may be accessible via third-party applications, as Wing writes on its corporate blog.

“While Wing has traditionally provided delivery services directly to residential and business customers, to further accelerate our technology development, we’ll be increasingly working with marketplaces and logistics partners to expand their delivery options. We’re focused on making fast drone delivery affordable and sustainable for them and their customers,” Wing Australia GM Simon Rossi said in a press release.

The partnership represents DoorDash’s continued commitment to autonomous delivery technology. DoorDash unveiled DoorDash Labs last year, a branch specializing in developing robots and automation solutions for last-mile deliveries. In a different context, DoorDash has operated delivery robots from suppliers like Starship Technologies.

“Drone delivery can provide an excellent complement to our ground delivery services. DoorDash delivery drones create a quick, efficient delivery option for smaller orders weighing just over a kilo, and free up ground delivery services for larger deliveries that provide better compensation to drivers,” DoorDash Australia GM Rebecca Burrows said in a statement.

Over the last few years, Wing has slowly expanded its services to several markets around the world. The company started drone deliveries in Australia and then expanded to Finland, and Virginia and Texas in the United States.