Image Credits:<\/strong> Wing<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe original idea for this was: Could you just bolt it to the [curbside pickup] sign?\u201d says Woodworth. \u201cThe opportunity exists with the existing workflow. How can you make it so the airplane works like a car that\u2019s driving up? How do you make it so the plane picks up the box, rather than the person having to time sync it there? It took a long time to get a robust mechanical solution for that that didn\u2019t require more electronics.\u201d<\/p>\n

In spite of the name, the AutoLoader is a fully passive system. It\u2019s stands roughly four feet tall, not including the two PVC pipes that jut out the front like a pair of horns. Operation is simple. Once the order is placed, an employee packs it into a cardboard box with a plastic ring on top that looks a fair bit like a Happy Meal. Loading it onto the rig is simple: you place the two pegs on the AutoLoader through a pair of holes in the box.<\/p>\n

When the drone comes by, it hovers over the AutoLoader for a bit, to scope out the situation and make sure everything looks right. If it encounters an issue that it can\u2019t correct for (say the employee forgot to load up the package), it will return to the hub. One downside of the fully passive system is that it can\u2019t alert the drone or operates to potential issues.<\/p>\n

If everything looks good, the drone lowers a tether, while the two poles ensure that it doesn\u2019t drift too far from the target. Once the tether is properly positioned underneath the box, it begins to retract, snapping the payload up like a fishing wire, pulling it up for the journey. Once the drone reaches the pickup spot determined by the customers, it lowers the box gently to the ground. This area needs to be roughly six by six feet, with no foliage obscuring the area.<\/p>\n