7-Eleven Completes FAA-Approved Drone Delivery

The thought of getting a hot cup of coffee and donuts delivered to your house might sound too good to be true, but for one homeowner in Nevada, that’s exactly what happened.

7-Eleven and Flirtey, an independent drone delivery service, recently completed the first autonomous drone delivery to a customer’s home.

7-Eleven merchandise, including hot coffee, a chicken sandwich and a Slurpee, were packed into a Flirtey drone delivery container. Using GPS technology, the goods were flown autonomously from a Reno, Nevada store to the customer’s house.

According to a press release from the convenience retailer, the delivery was approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and “the first time a U.S. customer has received a package to their home via drone.”

7-Eleven isn’t the only retailer eager to get drone deliveries off the ground. Amazon unveiled its own plan for unmanned deliveries.

“In time, there will be a whole family of Amazon drones. Different designs for different environments,” said Jeremy Clarkson in a recent Amazon promotional video. However, the e-commerce giant hasn’t indicated when they’ll have drones in service.

In June, the FAA published a new set of rules, loosening restrictions on commercial drone use. But one key provision requires drones to be kept within the operator’s line of site at all times, making autonomous deliveries still out of reach for retailers in the U.S.

We might be a ways off from getting our groceries delivered to our homes by drones here in the states, but there’s no question the industry is pushing the possibilities. Until then, we’ll see you in the checkout aisle.