--- title: "If We Want Drone Delivery To Be A Reality, We’ve Gotta Keep It Simple" description: "In Iceland, a startup called Aha has been using drone deliveries to drop off burgers for five months. Its secret: keeping the system very, very simple." date: "2018-09-27" modified: "2018-09-27" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/iceland-drone-deliveries" categories: - "Drones" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "aha" - "Amazon" - "drone delivery" - "Iceland" - "the digest" --- # If We Want Drone Delivery To Be A Reality, We’ve Gotta Keep It Simple ![]() *\Image: Flytrex\* ## DRONING ON In 2013, we learned about [Amazon's splashy plans]() to drop packages off at customers' homes using drones. Sure, there have been a [few pilot drone deliveries](), but for the most part, even Amazon hasn't made that future a reality yet. But in Iceland, a startup called Aha has been using drones to deliver hot food and other goods for five months. Its secret: keeping the system very, very simple. As we creep towards a future in which drone delivery is commonplace, Aha's success shows that a simple approach might work best — and that maybe tech giants like Amazon are over-engineering the concept. ## BARE BONES Aha's delivery drones have no cameras or radar, *IEEE* *Spectrum* [reports](). In fact, they navigate the Reykjavik area using *only* GPS, which keeps them on pre-determined routes selected because they're free of trees and other obstacles. When they arrive at a customer's home, the drones lower deliveries — burgers are popular, but the company also sells electronics — on a line. That stands in contrast to Amazon's high-tech approach. In 2014, the company filed [documents]() with the FAA claiming that its delivery drones sport "sense-and-avoid sensors." A [patent]() the company filed earlier this year describes a system that lets its drones respond to voice commands, and [another patent]() from last year explains a beehive-like structure where drones can roost and collect new items for delivery. ## AIN'T BROKE In this case, the simple approach seems to be winning. Aha says it's made 500 drone deliveries over the past five months, with no injuries. A delivery costs the equivalent of a modest US $7. But don't count Amazon out yet. The company is [still pouring resources]() into its nascent drone program. Maybe it just needs to focus on a simpler set of features. **READ MORE:** [Are Delivery Drones Commercially Viable? Iceland Is About to Find Out]() \[*Spectrum IEEE*\] ***More on drone delivery: [Are Delivery Drones Actually Better for the Environment?]()*** ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()