Google announced the launch of its drone delivery service, Project Winger, for 2017, according to BBC News. The service will deliver products to consumers through the use of a robot aircraft and mirrors the plans of other online retailers such as Amazon, Alibaba and Wal-Mart.
"Our goal is to have commercial business up and running in 2017," said David Vos, project leader for the service.
Although the service was originally run from Google X, the company's secret research lab, it is now thought to be in development at Alphabet, the parent company of former Google divisions.
Despite the aggressive 2017 release time line, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) still hasn't set any definitive rules that address the operation of commercial drones, according to the Verge. Furthermore, standards for drone-to-drone and drone-to-aircraft communication still haven't been created.
In comparison to Google, Amazon, Alibaba and Wal-Mart have better histories when it comes to commerce management and delivery logistics, leading many to speculate that Google may focus on drone deliveries for businesses instead of directly to consumers, according to Re/code.
Amazon has detailed its plans to use drones to deliver products directly to customers, claiming that its octocopters could deliver 2.3 kilograms of goods within 30 minutes of an order being placed.
