MKBHD checks out Zipline’s second generation delivery drone in action

Known as Zips, Zipline’s “Platform 2” delivery system takes a step forward to bring drone delivery to the home, a dream of all drone delivery companies on the market. Will this be the one that finally succeeds? MKBHD dropped a video this week checking out their testing site, showing how the new system works.

Announced two years ago in March 2023, Zipline’s Platform 2 is a redesign of its original system of catapults, parachutes, and aircraft catches. The system takes a much more traditional approach that other delivery systems have used, although with a twist.

Platform 2’s design allows the drone to both hover with four dual propeller rotors while also using a fixed wing and pusher motor like other VTOL UASs. However, the docking mechanism on the drone is located on its top, which means it must fly under its dock then upward to connect to it. While a bit harder to pull off than landing on a centering system like on DJI’s dock products, it still allows Zipline the ability to lower its delivery system for access while also receiving a charge.

The “droid” that is within the drone is the main star of the show, being lowered and raised when picking up or delivering an order. This reusable delivery system is much easier for retrieval than the parachute-assisted system on Platform 1 and gives its commercial partners more space for their products to fit into.

Platform 2 also features a solution for how companies can get their goods into the drone’s delivery pod. Zipline’s dock can be installed either as a standalone structure outside the building, taking up about the same space as a mailbox, or directly into the partner’s building. The chute used by the drone guides it to a resting place for easy access before being snaked back up it before the drone continues on its delivery.

Marques Brownlee, also known as MKBHD, checked out Zipline’s testing facility where they are attempting to perfect the system and prepare it for any circumstance it could encounter. Brownlee’s video showcased Zipline’s main charging hub for its drones, carrying dozens of drones with charging docks stacked on top of each other, saving space and money.

While the deliveries Zipline provided for Brownlee looked to all take place in controlled environments, it shows that the produce works. And we know it can work in the real world as Zipline has seen massive success providing medical deliveries at a fraction of the cost and time across Africa.

Africa provides both a great use case and testing ground for drone delivery as the regulations with air travel are easier to manage versus the congested skies and red tape-filled regulations here in the US.

While Zipline continues to grow its partnerships with restaurants and medical providers for deliveries, the growth is still slow, especially here in the United States. Zipline’s website states that deliveries will soon come to the Dallas-Fort Worth and Seattle-Tacoma areas; however, there are still a lot of challenges to solve before drone deliveries become nationwide.

However, Zipline can be considered leaps and bounds ahead of its closest competitors, who are funded by tech giants. Amazon’s Prime Air drone delivery program has hit setback after setback over the years and still looks nowhere close to entering large-scale operations anytime soon.

Google’s Wing, which is in limited operation to the public, is still not widespread and seems to be focusing on the much more difficult food and grocery delivery market.

Areas that have seen the most success right now with drone delivery have been in the medical industry where the need for quick or cheap delivery of medicine or blood continues to be taken over by drones.

This is where Zipline has seen its success and continues to grow faster than anyone else in this area. While the challenges of finding a way to provide drone deliveries to houses across a metro area at scale face large amounts of regulatory challenges, smaller-scale medical deliveries can actually be done right now and already make life-saving differences.