A small Nevada start-up says it has beaten Google and Amazon in establishing “routine commercial drone deliveries” in the United States.
Flirtey, which has been working with the 7-Eleven convenience store, said it had completed 77 successful deliveries by drone.
"We have now successfully completed the first month of routine commercial drone deliveries to customer homes in partnership with 7-Eleven," Flirtey chief executive Matthew Sweeny said in a statement. "This is a giant leap towards a future where everyone can experience the convenience of Flirtey's instant store-to-door drone delivery."
According to the drone delivery service, the deliveries were all made on weekends during November. Some of the items ordered included hot food, cold drinks as well as over-the-counter medicines.
Users make the orders using an application, and the drone uses a GPS to find its way. Upon arrival, the drone hovers over the customer’s address and slowly lowers its cargo.
Flirtey said deliveries took, on average, 10 minutes from order to delivery.
The company said it plans to expand its delivery services in the coming year.
Flirtey reportedly also made the first commercial drone delivery in the United States this past July when a drone delivered a chicken sandwich, coffee and donuts to a customer near Reno, Nevada.
The news from Flirtey comes after online retail giant Amazon announced its first successful drone delivery in England earlier this month.
Google and retailing giant Wal-Mart are both exploring drone delivery services.
