Alphabet, the parent company of Google, is present in a wide variety of fields. Among Alphabet’s subsidiaries are Waymo, which specializes in self-driving vehicles, as well as Wing, which operates delivery drones.
The delivery service is already operational in a few countries, including Australia. And so far, those deliveries have gone more or less without a hitch.
But a few days ago, one of Wing’s delivery drones caused a blackout that affected an entire neighborhood, after crashing into a power line and bursting into flames, before crashing to the ground . As ABC News reported in an article published on September 30, the incident took place in Browns Plains, south Brisbane.
A Wing delivery drone making a “precautionary controlled landing” outside of Brisbane ended up on some 11,000 volt power lines, where it eventually “caught fire and incinerated itself” resulting in a couple thousand people losing power for about 45 mins https://t .co/0zxwiLkzNC pic.twitter.com/QdHMSvPAru
—Evan Ackerman (@BotJunkie) September 30, 2022
Energex, the power company, restored power to nearly 2,000 customers after 45 minutes. On the other hand, it took longer for the 300 customers near the scene of the incident.
Fortunately, this is a very rare incident. According to Energex, this is the first time this has happened on its network, knowing that in 2021, Wing made more than 100,000 drone deliveries in Australia. And in the first two months of 2022 alone, the company made more than 30,000.
Either way, Energex asks people flying drones to be careful.
“Fifteen years ago we asked people to be careful if they gave kites to their children for Christmas and where they flew them. Now we ask parents to be very careful where their children fly their drones”says the company.
What happened ?
Quoted by ABC News, a Wing representative said the drone made a “precautionary controlled landing” before coming to rest on the power line. The Alphabet subsidiary then contacted Energex to intervene. An investigation is underway within the Alphabet subsidiary.
Wing also says the power cuts occurred two hours after the incident, during “the recovery process.” Energex had also specified that the landing of the drone on 11,000 volts and the fact that it caught fire did not immediately cut off the electricity.
Otherwise, although the drone crash knocked out a neighborhood of power, there wasn’t too much damage. Indeed, there was no permanent damage to the network and therefore the electricity company will not claim financial compensation.
As a reminder, Wing is also testing its drone delivery service in the United States and Finland. But this one seems particularly suitable for Australia, where the list of partners (brands whose products can be delivered by drone) is growing.
As our colleagues from The Verge explain, the flying conditions are perfect in certain areas of the country. And demand is high in suburbs poorly served by traditional means of delivery.
Source: Presse-Citron
I am a technology author with 8 years of experience in journalism. My writing covers the latest technology advancements and trends, drawing on my expertise in news journalism and social media platforms. I have contributed to major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Reuters.
