For us photographers and videographers, drones have left behind the notion of being an expensive, niche luxury and are now somewhat of an industry staple. However, the very same drones that are hoisting around our cameras are also being re-purposed for other commercial uses. One of the most popularly proposed ideas is that of having drones as automated delivery devices, swiftly and accurately dropping off our packages without needing to navigate traffic. It always seemed a bit of an idyllic concept to me, with its useful reality being some way off on the horizon, but Russia wanted to prove that's not the case.
In a little bit of a shock unveiling, Russia launched their first postal delivery drone and a crowd gathered to enjoy its maiden voyage. This anticipated first flight was far from smooth, as the small audience got to look on as the little propelled robot flew straight in to a wall before plummeting to the ground in more separate pieces than it left as.
The unmanned drone was on its merry way to deliver a package to a nearby village to prove the worth and readiness of the technology to the Russian Postal Service, who separated themselves from the incident nearly as quickly as the crash happened, stating they were there as a guest.
I wrote this not long after it happened and the reports were conflicting/confusing, but now there's a little more info, I've updated the article.
I can't see this taking off, excuse the pun. :) If an incompetent pilot doesn't destroy it, kids will throw rocks at it.
The less objects capable to fly in (or out of) Russia - the less problems for the rest of the World.
Patiently waiting for "In Russia..." jokes on this.
UAV delivery will never happen. There are too many obstacles to avoid and too many other things that will keep it from being financially viable. Too many power/telephone/cable lines, too many instances of not being able to fly because of wind, rain, or snow, too many thieves and miscreants willing to take it out with a rock or stick. Any UAV with enough range would be large enough to create a lot of damage. You'll always need a delivery service in place for heavy items, so it's not like they can cut that out and save a lot of money by not having delivery trucks.