Day after day we see stories of the dreadful acts that drones have been responsible for. But, apparently, they have a softer side. As The Shanghai Daily notes, a local cake factory has decided that the most efficient way to deliver their tasty treats across the Huangpu River to customers down town is via three re-fitted Chinese-made drones. The drone-delivered-cakes - which cost around $325 - have raised concerns though as "what if the cake or even the drone fell on a passer-by?" Local police and aviation authorities are investigating the issue, but for now it appears the Chinese can have their drones and eat from them too.
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Via The Shanghai Daily [6],
In a crazy story that would make even spy master James Bond sit up and take notice, a local cake factory is using drones to deliver cakes in Shanghai! And China's civil aviation authorities are not too happy about it.
The factory used remote-controlled aircraft on five different occasions to "fly" cakes across the Huangpu River to customers in downtown, claimed Men Ruifeng, the marketing manager of the Incake company, which only accepts orders online.
The drone, measuring 1.1 meters in diameter and fitted with five propellers, flies at a height of about 100 meters and can be remotely controlled over several kilometers. It has two cameras and the controller can pilot it from a nearby vehicle, Men said.
The company has three such drones, all of them refitted from a Chinese-made aviation model.
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The drone flights along the river has caught the attention of the locals, many of whom praised the factory's creativity, but others pointed out to the potential dangers from the sky.
"What if the cake or even the drone fell on a passer-by from the 100 meters," a netizen asked.
A drone weighs about 10 kilograms.
Another netizen worried that the new mode of delivery could be hijacked by criminals to deliver drugs or even bombs.
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Local police said they were also investigating the issue. The drone was used to deliver stuff, making it different from normal aviation practices, a police officer said.
Unmanned aircraft have to be approved by the civil aviation authority before being used for business, said an official with the civil aviation's East China Regional Administration.
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