Chicago-Oct. 27, 2015-Wal-Mart Stores Inc. applied to USA regulators for permission to test drones for home delivery, curbside pickup and checking warehouse inventories, a sign it plans to go head to head with Amazon in using drones to fill and deliver online orders.
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For several months, the retail giant has been testing drones inside their distribution centers, but now Wal-Mart may be trying to expand even further upon that.
Wal-Mart is getting into the drone game. Wal-Mart is using drones from Chinese manufacturer SZ DJI Technology. President and CEO Gerald B. Hammack today commented on the recent announcement by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requiring all drones to be registered by their operators.
“You test for a reason because you learn during tests and you tend to evolve and figure out which approaches are most compelling to customers and most efficient for the business”, explains Toporek. The Consumer Electronics Association has forecast that 700,000 drones will be sold this holiday season and federal officials anticipate that having the registration process in place before the holiday season will help new drone users to understand the responsibilities that come with UAV operation.
Amazon Chief Executive Jeffrey Bezos said drone deliveries will become very common one day, same as that of ordinary postal trucks.
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There is tension building on the regulators like FAA for creation of unambiguous rules on drone usage for commercial purposes.
