Drone Delivery Service In The Open Water
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. In the second half of Penny Palfrey‘s 109 km (68-mile) swim from Little Cayman to Grand Cayman that took 40 hours 41 minutes in 2011, a helicopter delivered a tub of chocolate ice cream to her escort boat, the Carib Princess.
The cold chocolate ice cream was a welcomed relief in the warm tropical water that was eating away at Palrey’s soft tissue in and around her mouth.
It was difficult, if not impossible, for the then 49-year-old to eat or chew anything solid. So, under the directive of her sponsor Frank Flowers, a tub of local chocolate ice cream was delivered in the middle of the Caribbean Sea.
“The ice cream seemed to really help her get her second wind,” recalled Steven Munatones. “She asked for it and Mr. Flower literally delivered in a major way.”
In the future, it may not be necessary to request for a human pilot and a helicopter to deliver goods on long swims.
In Japan, a drone successfully delivered hot soup to a group of surfers in a test of an unmanned flying vehicle traveling a preset route of more than 10 km. The test was conducted by Japan’s Industry Ministry, the local Fukushima prefectural government, and the Autonomous Control System Laboratory headed by Kenzo Nonami, a leading drone system developer in Japan.
The drone took 15 minutes to make the delivery by traveling from the Fukushima Hama-Dori Robot Testing Zone to Kitaizumi, a popular surfing spot north of Tokyo.
The primary purpose was to determine if such a delivery system is possible for use during post-disaster relief activities. With tsunamis and earthquakes occurring in Japan, this is a humanitarian need that can be uniquely addressed with drones and robots. The local government officials are inviting robot- and drone-related businesses to take part in these invaluable efforts.
“With all the new technologies coming out of Japan right now, I am really looking forward to what will be unveiled between now and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” remarked Munatones.
Copyright © 2016 by World Open Water Swimming Association
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.
Latest posts by Steven Munatones (see all)
