AI Predicts Demand to Launch Delivery Drones Before Orders Come In

AI is predicting demand so that delivery drones are waiting on restaurant rooftops before customers even place an order. Flytrex, a U.S.-based drone delivery company, announced it is rolling out an AI-powered drone positioning system in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. By using artificial intelligence to predict in advance which foods will sell and when, the system can send drones aloft before orders arrive, dramatically cutting delivery times.

At the heart of the system is AI-based demand forecasting. According to Flytrex, the AI learns from past demand, location, and time-of-day data to predict which restaurants are likely to see a surge in orders. Based on these predictions, drones are pre-positioned at rooftop docking stations before customers place their orders—if the prediction is right, the drone is already waiting by the time the food is ready. Rooftop landings are made possible by a docking device called the 'Rooftop Dock.'

Flytrex says the system can cut its delivery costs by 60% and could reduce delivery times by half for customers.