Here’s a quick overview of how P2 is intended to work …
A worker at one location starts by placing a cargo item inside a droid – this is basically a streamlined box with a shrouded propeller at the rear. In a docking station at that location, the droid is then loaded into the belly of one of Zipline’s P2 Zip eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) drones.
The P2 Zip proceeds to fly to the destination address, staying at an altitude of at least 300 ft (91 m) the whole time. Once it reaches that location, it hovers in place while lowering the droid down on a retractable tether.
Utilizing a downward-facing camera and other onboard sensors, the droid is able to see its target landing area, such as a home’s front steps. It thus activates its propeller to ensure that it hits that mark, compensating for factors such as crosswinds. Once the droid lands, the recipient opens its hatch and retrieves their item. The droid is then winched back up to the drone, which in most scenarios flies back to its starting point.
Self-steering droids define Zipline’s new Platform 2 drone delivery service [New Atlas]