Drones to deliver pizza for part of the trip in Israel

We’ve all heard of drone delivery by now – even though most deliveries currently taking place are on a trial basis. Well, a new model is apparently coming to Israel that will see drones carry pizzas for part of the delivery cycle.

For retailers, there are obvious advantages to delivery by drone. Except for rare exceptions, it’s the fastest way of getting an object from point A to point B in an urban setting. No getting stuck in traffic, and no paying for staff or third-party drivers to ferry the goods. Just load up your goods, plug in coordinates, check for airspace safety and you’re off. Of course, that last bit – airspace safety – is a large hurdle to safely overcome before this can start happening at scale.

But a software company plans to try out a new model in Israel.

Putting drones into the workflow

When you place an order to a fast food restaurant, someone obviously prepares that order. But once you’re into high-volume chains, everything has to be optimized to keep the flow happening as smoothly and efficiently as possible. That’s where a company called Dragontail Systems comes into play. It makes the software that helps optimize all of this behind-the-scenes. It works with major brands, including Dominos and KFC.

And now, it’s working with Pizza Hut in Israel to add another cog in the delivery wheel: Drones.

These drones fly food orders to the drivers

Unlike the traditional delivery model – where goods are delivered to the door of the client – the Dragontail Systems model will be different. It will fly drones to designated points where drivers are waiting. Vehicles will then take it on the final delivery to the consumer’s home.

Why, you might ask. The answer is interesting: This model allows the food outlet to expand its delivery zone by quickly getting hot food to drivers who are already at some distance from the location. It’s a model Dragontail Systems believes will be especially useful during the pandemic, due to the heightened demand for food deliveries:

This technology is vital to the current crisis impacting the restaurant industry. Our drone deliveries provide restaurants and delivery drivers an opportunity to reach an extended customer base while doing so in a safe and cost-effective manner.

Ido Levanon, CEO and Director of Dragontail Systems

How does it work

It’s one thing to say it’s a software company. It’s another to understand how it works. In announcing the new move, Dragontail Systems issued a news release. It outlines in greater detail the company’s system.

The drones are integrated with the company’s unique Algo Dispatching System, a platform that uses AI-based technology to optimize and manage the entire food preparation process from order to delivery. The drones are the latest innovation to combat delivery challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. With a heightened demand for delivery orders, the drones offer restaurants and ghost kitchens an opportunity to reach more consumers in suburbs and rural areas while alleviating the need for delivery drivers to remain in close proximity to restaurants. Delivery drivers can meet at the drone landing zones, ranging from parking lots to other remote destinations, where the drones will drop off strategically coordinated orders directly from the corresponding kitchen.

Dragontail News Release

Wait! I want more details! Okay, you’ve got ’em:

The Algo Platform uses a sophisticated patented algorithm to optimize and manage the entire food preparation process from order to delivery. It is the first system in the world to fully automate and streamline the kitchen flow to deliver an immediate and significant return on investment to fast food and quick service restaurants. The QT system’s sensor and camera automatically monitor the preparation and cooking process in the kitchen to improve the quality and consistency of meals. Using proprietary patented advanced AI machine-learning technology, the system keeps improving its diagnostics, becoming even more efficient. Dragontail Systems products are currently installed in approximately 2,500 stores in Canada Australia Asia and Europe and for the first time are being offered to the US Market.

Dragontail News Release

Next steps

We understand that Dragontail Systems will start the system in conjunction with Pizza Hut later this year. And while Israel is ahead of much of the world on the vaccination front, it’s clear that the pandemic is likely to forever change some consumer habits. It’s a safe bet there will be more home deliveries post-pandemic than there were, on average, prior to this global event.

Dragontail Systems, clearly, is getting ready for the future.