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Zipline - How Rwanda Built A Drone Delivery Service

Real Engineering · explainer · Watch on YouTube

RoboticsAviation & aerospace engineering

What it is

Real Engineering explains how Zipline built a drone delivery network for medical supplies in Rwanda. It covers the fixed-wing drones, catapult launch, parachute drop and the logistics behind the service.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN points to it as the best explanation of how Zipline's whole system works and as an example of drones doing real, useful work.

  • 9 people recommended it
  • 6 different months
  • 1 strong recommendations
  • first 2019, last 2023

What HN commenters said

  1. “One of my favorite companies since I heard about them”

    Commenter's favorite company, sees it as the way forward for delivery.

    zx10rse, 2023-09 · Strong recommendation · in “FAA Authorizes Zipline to Deliver Commercial Packages Using Drones”

  2. “one of the most interesting solutions an engineering perspective too”

    Shows Zipline's drone delivery in Rwanda as an interesting engineering solution.

    1023bytes, 2019-08 · Recommendation · in “Swiss Post Suspends Drone Delivery Service After Second Crash”

  3. “Real Engineering [1] and Wendover Productions [2] have really nice videos about their system currently deployed in Rwanda.”

    Explains Zipline's catapult launch and parachute delivery system in Rwanda.

    Fabricio20, 2019-09 · Recommendation · in “Google Wing Launching US Drone Deliveries with FedEx, Walgreens”

  4. “this video by Real Engineering that does a great job of explaining how the whole thing works”

    Explains well how the whole Zipline system works.

    ViralBShah, 2020-06 · Recommendation · in “Zipline: Drone delivery of medical supplies”

  5. “flyzipline is so cool!”

    Shows the neat wire-hook landing technology of Zipline drones.

    RheingoldRiver, 2021-08 · Recommendation · in “The slow collapse of Amazon’s drone delivery dream”

  6. “with amazing (delivery of medical supplies in Rwanda)”

    Amazing look at drone delivery of medical supplies in Rwanda.

    matkoniecz, 2021-08 · Recommendation · in “The slow collapse of Amazon’s drone delivery dream”

  7. “Really cool tech, the way they have a sort of assembly line for getting ready-to-fly parts on the package in the space of minutes”

    Shows Zipline's assembly-line prep for life-and-death drone deliveries in Rwanda.

    jazzyjackson, 2021-08 · Recommendation · in “Police helicopter's 100mph chase with 'super sophisticated' drone near Tucson”

  8. “The drone is not a quadcopter, they are too inefficient. Mini plane design.”

    Details fixed-wing design, battery-GPS unit, rail launch, parachute drop and wire landing.

    SPBS, 2022-04 · Recommendation · in “Drones have transformed blood delivery in Rwanda”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: zipline, drones, rwanda, medical logistics, aviation

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