Flytrex Golf brings drone-based food delivery to US golf course

Flytrex is bringing drone-based food delivery to a golf course in North Dakota, marking the first time golfers in the US will be able to receive meals from the sky. The service is being launched in conjunction with Ease Drones and the King's Walk Course, and revolves around a mobile app golfers will use to order food.

Drone-based delivery concepts aren't new — Amazon has notably been patenting technology that could allow it to deliver goods by drone, and other companies, like Domino's, have tested the use of drones to deliver food. Such technology is still rarely used with the general public, though, making Flytrex's new service notable.

To use it, golfers at King's Walk will use the Flytrex Golf app to order a meal from the Eagle's Crest Bar & Grill while still on the green. The recipient will make the order, package it, and load it into a drone, which then takes off and delivers it directly to the buyer.

The food will be dropped at a specific pickup zone on the ground; the UAV hovers over it until the customer arrives, at which point they confirm via the app that they're ready to retrieve it. The drone will travel to this destination by taking a route without anyone under it, a necessary safety precaution.

Though the drone deliveries were approved by the state's Grand Forks Park District, it must follow rules established by the FAA, which includes operating away from structures and people not involved with the flight. That makes the golf course's appeal obvious — few people and even fewer structures are on it.

VIA: VentureBeat