Drone Delivers Coffee to Beachgoers on Dubai's Kite Beach
Costa Coffee in Dubai tested out its delivery drones on Kite Beach, which successfully brought customers their beverages in less than 15 minutes.

We previously reported on the Volocopter's successful test flight in Dubai, in which the flying taxi safely transported the Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed for five full minutes. Well, there was another drone-related test flight taking place in Dubai recently, one which delivered coffees instead of Sheikhs. A local company, Costa coffee used beachgoers on Kite Beach in Dubai to test-fly their coffee-delivering drones to customers.
According to The National, a regional United Arab Emirates publication, 82 percent of potential customers said they'd welcome a drone delivering them their food and beverages, as opposed to a friendly face handing them their lattés. Costa used what they're calling a "Drone Drop" service on the Dubai beach, to which local coffees were sent via drone from a nearby Costa coffee location. The baristas prep your drink, load it onto a UAV, and send it along to the drop-spot. We've seen someting like this before, with the WeinerDrone earlier this summer, or more similarly, the beverage delivery drone on an Estonian beach.
Reportedly, this process took a mere 15 minutes, from the placing of an order to successful delivery. Here's what that looked like, courtesy of Costa coffee!
"Dubai is known for leading the way with innovative technology and drones are the next frontier for instant delivery," Shemaine Jones, Head of marketing at Costa Coffee UAE, told The National. Our customers told us they’d love to have their favourite drinks dropped off by drones, so we’re super-excited to have successfully tested this service, enabling beach-goers to enjoy ice-cold beverages without leaving the comfort of their sun loungers."
Obviously, this is a fun and impressive marketing stunt, with which the coffee company probably does increase delivery cost efficiency. However, this seems to have been a one-day event—for now. Companies are increasingly using drones to deliver their products directly into customers' hands, and Dubai is becoming a popular place for businesses to test that out. Stay tuned, as we await the next inevitable delivery-drone story coming out of the UAE.
-
RELATEDMatternet Station Drone to Deliver Lab Samples in SwitzerlandMatternet and Swiss Post will bring the first drone-based delivery network to Switzerland, to transport vital blood samples and diagnostics between clinics.READ NOW
-
RELATEDCalifornia Crushes Dreams of Weed Drone DeliveryCalifornia's Bureau of Cannabis Control introduced regulations banning drones as a potential delivery method.READ NOW
-
RELATEDAmazon Drone Patent Describes a Delivery Drone That Will Talk to YouAmazon files a new drone delivery patent focusing on customer safety: a drone that warns of potential danger.READ NOW
-
RELATEDDrones Can Now Deliver Your Viagra and Morning-After PillEnglish drug company MedExpress successfully wrapped drone delivery trials for Viagra and morning-after pills, with plans to thoroughly expand the service.READ NOW
-
RELATEDVolocopter Passenger Drone Successfully Takes Dubai's Crown Prince on 5-Minute FlightDaimler-backed autonomous passenger drone company Volocopter took Dubai's Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed on a 200-meter-high flight on Monday.READ NOW