The Google drone that could soon deliver shopping

MEET the flying drone that Google hopes could soon be air-dropping shopping or even delivering disaster relief to areas regular vehicles can't reach.

The Google drone that could soon deliver shopping[GOOGLE]

The project is being developed by Google X, the online company's secret technology research arm, which is also responsible for its self-driving car.

The covert two-year enterprise, known as Project Wing, has remained under wraps until now. 

Google says that its long-term goal is to develop autonomous aerial devices that could to drop aid to isolated areas unreachable by road or to deliver parcels for items ordered online. 

Footage of Google's prototype shows how it might be used to access those affected by earthquakes, floods, or extreme weather events, by dropping small items such as medicines or batteries to those in need. 

"Even just a few of these, being able to shuttle nearly continuously could service a very large number of people in an emergency situation," explained Astro Teller, Captain of Moonshots - Google X's name for big-thinking projects.

The self-flying vehicle, which resembles something from a sci-fi film, was first designed to deliver defibrillator kits to people suffering suspected heart attacks. 

It was thought the drones would be able to deliver equipment faster than an ambulance. 

Project Wing's incoming leader, Dave Voss said: "When you have a tool like this you can really allow the operators of those emergency services to add an entirely new dimension to the set of tools and solutions that they can think of," 

Google's prototypes have proved successful in tests, delivering packages to remote farms in Queensland, Australia from neighbouring properties.

Google chose Australia for testing due to what it calls "progressive" rules about the use of drones, which are more tightly controlled in other parts of the word.

The Google drone drops a parcel from its under carriage [GOOGLE]

Project Wing's aircraft have a wingspan of about 1.5metres and have four electrically-driven propellers.

Including the package it delivers, the total weight is 10kg, with the aircraft accounting for 8.5kg of that. 

The vehicle is known as a "tail-sitter" as it rests on the ground with its propellers pointing straight up. It moves upward into a horizontal flight pattern.

This operation gives the drone some of the benefits of both planes and helicopters.

It can take off or land without a runway, and can hold its position hovering in one spot. 

Unlike military aircraft drones, which are remotely piloted, the Google drones have their destinations pre-programmed. They then fly themselves there themselves.

Eventually, Google hopes to use unmanned flying vehicles to deliver items bought by shoppers to their home. 

Google's Astro Teller is heavily involved in the drone's development [GETTY]

Retail giant Amazon has reportedly already stated an interest. 

"The things we would do there are not unlike what is traditionally done in aerospace," said Mr Voss.

"It will be clear for us what level of redundancy we need in the controls and sensors, the computers that are onboard, and the motors, and how they are able to fail gracefully such that you don't have catastrophic problems occurring."

Flying cars and hover bikes have also been muted as possible solutions for delivering humanitarian aid in places that are hard to reach. 

"We will have to see what kind of specific technology works best within the aid landscape, and if the new technology can integrate positively in the local context," said Lou Del Bello from news site SciDev.net. 

"It will need to demonstrate it can be cost effective, and respond to the actual needs of local people."