Your Uber Eats order might soon land from the sky instead of the street. Uber announced it’s teaming up with Flytrex, an autonomous drone delivery company, to pilot aerial food drops in select U.S. markets by the end of the year.
“Uber aims to build the world’s most flexible, multimodal delivery network,” the company said, pointing to its growing mix of cars, bikes, sidewalk robots — and now drones. Uber also revealed it will invest in Flytrex to help speed up the rollout of the technology, though it hasn’t shared how much.
Flytrex drones have already delivered more than 200,000 meals in suburban neighborhoods over the past three years. It’s one of only four companies cleared by the FAA for “Beyond Visual Line of Sight” flights, meaning pilots can operate drones they can’t physically see.
This move follows Uber’s recent experiments with sidewalk robots in Los Angeles and even helicopter bookings through its app. DoorDash and Chipotle are testing drone drops in Dallas, showing that food delivery by air may soon be more than just a sci-fi dream.
So next time you’re hungry, don’t just look to the street — look up.