Even as companies like Wal-Mart and Amazon move ahead with drone delivery, Google has given a concrete date for when it plans to delivery packages by drone.
At a Washington conference Monday for air traffic controllers, Google executive Dave Vos told audience members that he hopes to field a commercial service by 2017. Google later confirmed Vos's remarks, saying the service would use its Project Wing technology to deliver parcels, but the company declined to say where the deployment may occur.
Google has tested Project Wing in Australia, sending local farmers everything from a first aid kit to candy bars and dog treats.
In the United States, the company has also pushed for clear new rules for commercial drones. Vos envisions the private sector playing a role in setting up an air-traffic control system for drones, and he even serves as co-chair of a Department of Transportation task force to determine how hobbyists should register their drones with the government.
Brian Fung covers technology for The Washington Post, focusing on telecommunications and the Internet. Before joining the Post, he was the technology correspondent for National Journal and an associate editor at the Atlantic.
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