Nevada-based drone company Flirtey has partnered with 7-Eleven to deliver hot food, Slurpees, medicine, and more to local customers.

Regardless of how you feel about your local delivery driver being replaced by an unmanned aircraft, there’s no denying that the future of delivery-by-drone is inevitable. Major companies like Amazon and Walmart are among the first to aim for drone delivery services, and more are sure to follow their lead as the technology continues to advance.

But when it comes to successful drone delivery missions, the Nevada-based startup Flirtey has managed to outdo these major companies. While the e-commerce giant Amazon announced their first successful drone delivery earlier this month in England, Flirtey has already completed 77 deliveries in partnership with the convenience store franchise 7-Eleven.

3D Printed Flirtey Drone: From the Store to Your Front Door

The startup first gained traction when they completed their first FAA-approved delivery of emergency supplies back in March, proving the viability of their drone service in the face of calamity. Since July, these 3D printed drones have been put to commercial use. They delivered hot food, over-the-counter medicine, and even 7-Eleven’s famed Slurpee to dozens of pre-selected customers.

These deliveries are placed through a custom app. Customers choose between items and get notified in real-time of the delivery progress. Once the order was received by 7-Eleven, the drone was loaded accordingly and flown to the customer’s home autonomously through precision GPS.

Matthew Sweeny, Flirtey’s Chief Executive, stated:

“We have now successfully completed the first month of routine commercial drone deliveries to customer homes in partnership with 7-Eleven. 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 Flirtey, the entire delivery process took an average of 10 minutes, while 100% of the customers involved said they would use the drone service again.

 

 

The Role of 3D Printing Technology

The lightweight Flirtey delivery drone is composed of carbon fiber, aluminum, and 3D printed components. Aside from being equipped with various 3D printed parts, 3D printing technology also assisted in the rapid prototyping process, helping Flirtey overcome their tight testing and production deadlines.

The result is an unmanned aircraft that is incredibly quick with adequate safety features, including low-battery return-to-safe location programming and auto-return commands in case of GPS signal loss. Outside of their partnership with 7-Eleven, the Flirtey drone has also delivered Domino’s pizza to various customers in New Zealand.

Flirtey and 7-Eleven plan on expanding their delivery range throughout the next year, so keep an eye out to see if the Flirtey drone will be whizzing through your neighborhood in the near future.