Transportation Puzzle - Pills And People
The Dawn of Urban Air Mobility - Shaping a Nimble Future
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Sadly, the (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle - UAV) industry’s efforts to weaken airspace rights laws to make way for commercial drones have stalled the development of private airspace-sharing systems - an alternative approach.. could finally unleash commercial drone services across the country. - Troy A. Rule, Professor of Law and Joseph M. Feller Memorial Chair Arizona State University
Pharmacy In The Sky
Drones that deliver medicine and medical items are a wonderful use case for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). In College Station, Texas customers are now eligible for aerial deliveries of more than 500 medications for common ailments such as the flu, asthma, and pneumonia through Amazon’s drone program.
Texas has positioned itself as a hub for drone delivery experimentation. Interestingly Texas is a state which has a strong stance on individual property rights too. There are many private property owners with physical infrastructure who have recently started to place their low-altitude airspace into the ecosystem to gain passive rental income from air space use.
In a parallel development, Alphabet's Wing has initiated its drone delivery services in the Dallas–Fort Worth region in a partnership with the retailer Walmart.
The landscape of drone deliveries in the United States continues to evolve. Amazon is also trying to make international inroads in 2024. They plan the expansion of drone deliveries to the U.K. and Italy. Amazon intends to integrate the Prime Air program within its delivery network. This integration will see drones operating from select same-day delivery sites.
Amazon's MK30 drone deployment was initially unveiled in November 2022. This model doubles of the range compared to its predecessors and exhibits heightened resilience to higher and lower temperature extremes.
Drones are a welcome addition to the transportation system, without permission from private property owners’ any economic benefit derived from these activities is not only short-lived but also the result of trespass. Amazon thankfully don’t drive their trucks onto your front yards to deliver to your neighbour and the ownership of the low-altitude skies is no different to the ownership structure of front yards.
Flying Cars - The Next Steps
Supernal, Hyundai's Flying Vehicle Company and Korean Air have joined forces to advance eVTOL technology. They'll share technical data, engage in workshops, and help develop systems for eVTOL operations. This partnership aligns with Hyundai's broader collaborations, which include an agreement with Honeywell to create ground control stations for pilotless eVTOL test flights.
The Honeywell ground control station allows remote testing of AAM (Advanced Air Mobility) vehicles. Ground-based pilots can monitor and command the aircraft's operations beyond their line of sight, all while accessing real-time data. Korean Air will provide market insights and AAM aircraft specifications based on their data, aiding Supernal's product and market development.
Supernal recently opened a research and development facility in Fremont, California, focusing on battery technology for electric aerial vehicles (EAV). This facility marks the third opened this year, following an engineering headquarters in Irvine, California, and a policy and commercial hub in Washington, They're also collaborating with Microsoft and BAE Systems on various aspects of their EAVs.
With Whitaker, the Supernal COO being nominated as the Federal Administration Aviation (FAA) administrator it will likely lead to interesting developments, if he is confirmed, in the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) industry.
Bailout Dividends
Delta Air Lines, (who received a $5.4 Billion government bailout not too long ago in addition to over $15 Billion in the preceding 20 years) and Joby Aviation are poised to
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