Exclusive 1st look at Walmart drone delivery expansion
Walmart's grocery drone delivery is taking flight in Atlanta.
The world's largest retailer gave "Good Morning America" an exclusive inside look at what it calls a drone nest where its latest delivery by sky program launched on Wednesday.
The delivery method, which Walmart previously announced would roll out in five cities back in June, has now expanded to the metro-Atlanta area in partnership with Wing, adding the option for millions of shoppers.
The company became the first retailer to scale drone delivery across five states and has set a new bar among industry competitors that are all vying to gain control of the last-minute delivery order market.
Amazon just launched its new "ultra fast" Amazon Now delivery, Uber Eats utilizes autonomous robots for food deliveries and DoorDash is experimenting with drones.
This expansion also includes Houston, Charlotte, Tampa and Orlando, which will begin early next year, while stores in the Dallas, Fort Worth, Texas, and Bentonville, Arkansas, areas have already implemented the light weight drones.
The drones sit on individual charging pads until an order comes in through the Wing app, which signals the team to pack up the order, load it onto the drone, at which point it flies to the specified delivery location in under five minutes. In the app, customers can track the package and see a countdown clock for its arrival.
The drone will hover about 150 yards above the ground, then slowly lower the package on a tether and safely releases the package once it's touched the ground.
The drones can carry packages up to two and a half pounds, fly within a six-mile radius of a Walmart store avoiding traffic, stop signs and pedestrians. They also follow FAA guidelines and have sensors to avoid obstacles during the delivery.
To date, popular items for delivery have often included medicine, ice cream, eggs and even a small rotisserie chicken.
Walmart hopes to continue the drone delivery expansion nationwide.
