A Chicago startup is helping golfers wet their whistle with on-demand drone deliveries during a round of golf.
Chicago-based Valqari, maker of a smart drone delivery mailbox, partnered with commercial drone company AgEagle to deliver food and beverages via drone to golfers in Arizona.
The two companies piloted the service at the Sun City Country Club, where an order was placed via a Valqari drone delivery station near the clubhouse restaurant, and a drone delivered the items to a delivery station located on the course.
While just a pilot demonstration, the golf club said it envisions the system being integrated into its course, with the possibility of expanding it to other courses around the world.
The pilot took place just months after AgEagle invested $500,000 in Valqari and agreed to a two-year contract to produce its drone delivery mailboxes.
Founded in 2017 by Ryan Walsh and Alex Falesch, Valqari's smart mailboxes can securely receive packages, groceries, pharmaceuticals, meals or anything else delivered by a drone. Ultimately, Valqari aims to solve the "last-inch logistic problem" by creating a device that can open and close to receive a drone package, the startup says. The company held its first public demo in 2019 at a smart city event in Georgia, where Valqari’s technology helped receive a drone-delivered meal from REEF KITCHENS.
Ultimately, Valqari hopes to create a secure landing spot for drones in a future where more and more deliveries are sent by unmanned aerial vehicles.
"This demonstration of AgEagle and Valqari technologies shows just one of the many ways our joint system can be used to optimize fast and secure deliveries for industries ranging from hospitality to commercial deliveries and beyond," Walsh said in a statement.
