Walmart’s futuristic new service landing on more Texas homes
Walmart customers in part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area can use a new drone delivery service. Find out how it will work and in which areas.
With the aim of streamlining home deliveries in Texas, Walmart has joined forces with Wing, a company specialized in delivery with drones.
According to the agreement signed between the world’s largest retailer and the subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., drone delivery will offer an even faster delivery option for customers, with orders arriving within a period of between 10 and 30 minutes after being placed. Drones will be able to deliver everything from over-the-counter medications to snacks .
“Customers will have access to a broad assortment of items from Walmart available for delivery to their home in just minutes,” said Prathibha Rajashekhar, senior vice president of Innovation and Automation at Walmart US, in a statement released at the beginning of the year. “Drone delivery is not just a concept of the future, it’s happening now and will soon be a reality for millions of additional Texans.”
In which areas will drone delivery be available?
Since this is a pilot project, drone delivery will only be available to residents of one city located in the north of the Lone Star State: North Richland Hills. To access this innovative service, residents must be within four miles of any of the following locations:
- Walmart Supercenter at 9101 North Tarrant Parkway
- Walmart Supercenter at 6401 NE Loop 820
The service is now available in the first location, while, for the second, it is expected to be enabled in the coming days.*
You may also be interested in: Walmart $45 million settlement: Who is eligible to receive $500 in cash and how to submit a claim online
How will drone delivery work?
As reported by NBC, the drones measure just over four feet long with a wingspan of nearly 5 feet; They weigh 11.4 pounds without package and can travel up to 65 miles per hour at about 150 feet in the air. Due to the characteristics of the units, packages should not exceed 2.3 pounds.
Regarding the privacy of residents, Wings and Walmart ensure that the drones are equipped with low-resolution black and white camera sensors, so that the privacy of citizens is not compromised, but the delivery vehicles will have the necessary information to confirm the terrain and navigation.
The drones are no louder than a passing car according to Wings. The pilot program was approved by the North Richland Hills City Council and will run for a year.