Hello monkeys,
This article here provides an interesting future to the international cargo transporting business.
So why not send all those boxes and packages on an un-piloted, amphibious Boeing 777-sized drone that can fly point to point and eventually drop off as much as 200,000 pounds of cargo at a seaside port? It would carry that cargo at about half the cost of normal air freight thanks to a more efficient use of fuel and the lack of an expensive crew.That’s the thinking behind Natilus, a Richmond, California-based startup that this summer plans on flying FAA-approved tests of a 30-foot prototype that’s about the size and weight of a military Predator drone. The flight will mark the first significant step toward upending the global freight forwarding industry.
Interesting indeed, but I think this carries some concerns like:
- What happens if it crashes? Who's responsible?
- Some of these drones may be (as usual) used by some governments to spy / track some individuals....
Especially when they fly below 20,000 feet, making collisions more probable:
Natilus, which has raised $750,000 from venture capitalist Tim Draper and was incubated at the aviation-oriented Starburst Accelerator in Los Angeles, will power its drones with turboprop and turbofan engines and standard jet fuel, sending them on missions at an altitude of approximately 20,000 feet.
What do you monkeys think about the future of cargo transport?
