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SALT LAKE CITY — After the cruel joke that was Tacocopter, it will be a challenge to get Americans to trust again in the possibility of Mexican cuisine being delivered via unmanned drone. But the men behind Darwin Aerospace are here to try.
The company has developed and tested an unmanned drone that is capable of safely transporting a burrito — or, conceivably, anything else that can fit into a burrito-sized tube — across distance.
Although the Burrito Bomber is a working product, it is not allowed to fly under current FAA guidelines. But the company is hopeful that the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 will solve the problem: the act requires the FAA to figure out regulations for commercial drones by Sept. 2015.
"This means in 2015 we'll be able to take to the skies to bring you your burrito faster than you can say ‘¡Salsa roja por favor!' according to the team.
Even with FAA regulations allowing for commercial-use drones, the Burrito Bomber would face other challenges: telephone wires, birds and bad weather come to mind. Just like with Tacocopter, it would have to have an advanced navigation system in order to navigate around dangerous terrain or through urban areas.
The team believes those obstacles are not insurmountable, though. If the burrito bomber comes to fruition, it would work like this, according to Darwin Aerospace:
- "You connect to the Burrito Bomber web-app and order a burrito. Your smartphone sends your current location to our server, which generates a waypoint file compatible with the drone's autopilot.
- "We upload the waypoint file to the drone and load your burrito in to our custom made Burrito Delivery Tube.
- "The drone flies to your location and releases the Burrito Delivery Tube. The burrito parachutes down to you, the drone flies itself home, and you enjoy your carne asada."
The team that developed the product has posted instructions for building the drone so interested parties can fly their own Burrito Bomber.
