Google brothers Wing uses the rooftop of a shopping center as a landing site for delivery drones --CNET Japan

Wing Aviation, a brother company of Google that provides drone delivery services, operates a delivery service for goods using the rooftop of a shopping center in Queensland, Australia, as a landing site for drones.

This initiative is underway in collaboration with the Australian retail group Vicinity Centers. Goods are delivered to the surrounding residents from the "Grand Plaza" shopping center at Vicinity Centers in Logan, Queensland.

If the rooftop is used as a drone landing site, there is no need to secure new land for the landing site, and empty space can be effectively utilized. In addition, it is said that demand is high because it can carry products from each store in the shopping center.

Wing and Vicinity Centers launched trial service in mid-August and have delivered more than 2,500 times so far. Until now, we have delivered food products, but we are also starting to handle over-the-counter drugs and cosmetics.

The drone used for delivery is an airplane shaped by combining a fixed-wing aircraft and a multicopter. Hovering is possible, and when loading and unloading luggage, a wire for lowering the luggage is extended from the sky. It can carry up to 1.5 kg of luggage.

Deliver products by drone from the roof (Source: Wing / YouTube)

Wing already operates drone delivery services in Canberra, Finland and the United States in Australia. Due to the influence of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) pandemic, the delivery of medicines and groceries has increased sharply. The cumulative number of deliveries has reached 100,000.

According to The Register, Wing's drone, which was delivering goods in Canberra, was attacked by a raven. A Wing spokeswoman told The Register, "We have made a huge number of drone deliveries in Australia, but there are very rare collisions with birds."