‘TacoCopter’ Food Delivery Using Drone Helicopter Nixed by the Feds
- Posted on March 24, 2012 at 6:46pm by
Erica Ritz
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In what many consider the most innovative new startup idea out of Silicon Valley, the “TacoCopter” is an unmanned drone helicopter that will literally “drop off” tacos to your location.
According to the Huffington Post:
You order tacos on your smartphone and also beam in your GPS location information. Your order — and your location — are transmitted to an unmanned drone helicopter (grounded, near the kitchen where the tacos are made), and the tacocopter is then sent out with your food to find you and deliver your tacos to wherever you’re standing.
You pay online, so the tacos are simply dropped off at your feet by the drone helicopter, which then flies back to the restaurant to pick up its next order.
Brilliant, right? You’re probably ready to order a sackful of fish tacos to be delivered to you by a semi-autonomous flying robot as we speak!
Well, put down your smartphones, because here comes some bad news: The launch of Tacocopter — which is totally real, by the way, despite some doubters, and has been around since July 2011 — is being blocked by the U.S. government.
(Photo: Huffington Post)
According to Star Simpson, one of the three “TacoCopter” founders, “Current U.S. FAA regulations prevent … using UAVs [Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, like drones] for commercial purposes at the moment…Honestly I think it‘s not totally unreasonable to regulate something as potentially dangerous as having flying robots slinging tacos over people’s heads … On the other hand, it‘s a little bit ironic that that’s the case in a country where you can be killed by drone with no judicial review.”
She continued that the TacoCopter could affect how we operate “in ways we don’t quite even have the ability to explore at this time,” but unfortunately, “It’s really the legal obstacles in the U.S. that seem insurmountable at this time.”
The Huffington Post concludes its article by saying:
So, there you have it: The U.S. government is single-handedly preventing you from ordering a taco and having it delivered to you by a totally sweet pilot-less helicopter. So get out your pitchforks, sign those petitions, start calling your local congressmen, and let them know: We want our tacos hurled at us by giant buzzing robotic helicopters, and we want them now.
Critics of excessive federal regulation point out that, while it is wise to ensure everyone’s safety, it is not always “one or the other.” It needn’t necessarily be a drone “hurling” a taco at your head, and could develop into a way to make all sorts of delivery jobs safer. More often than not, they say, excessive regulation just stifles potential innovation, whether it is high-class technology, or a simple TacoCopter.
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Andy Whitehead
Posted on May 31, 2012 at 8:41pmAttention business people: If you must start a business in California, you must remember:
Your start up costs will be twice what you believe. You have to add in “white envelopes” for the many, many, inspectors who will be stopping by to “introduce” themselves. This will include the building inspector, the department of environmental quality inspector, the health inspector, etc. All will want you to recognize that they are superior beings, because they are. One word from them and you aren’t going into business.
Report Post »BarackStalin
Posted on March 25, 2012 at 4:38pmWe’ve already got 30,000 approved permits for unmanned drones to be operated by various government law enforcement agencies throughout the US.
Does it get any more dangerous than that?
Report Post »symphonic
Posted on March 25, 2012 at 12:38pmYou know what’s wrong with these stupid things?
NO ACCOUNTABILITY. It can be used for such nefarious purposes. Remote control things are just dangerous. Period. Especially when they are controlled by computers.
Report Post »Stoic one
Posted on March 25, 2012 at 4:14pmRC helicopters are a reality and cheap….
Report Post »as are hammers, axes and chainsaws….
So if you are afraid of stuff like this do not go outside.
Stay in your new home with it’s worse air than outside,
watch tv service and / or it services and trust —
your government to protect you.
.
.
.
Good Luck With That!
NazaKaza
Posted on March 28, 2012 at 5:41pmCars packed with explosives are dangerous too…lets outlaw them!
Report Post »Patrick Flynn
Posted on March 25, 2012 at 2:33amThis report appears to be in error according to my sources http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/03/qa-with-tacocopter/
Report Post »MYHEROISRON
Posted on March 25, 2012 at 6:43amThe dam batteries will only last about five minutes in a quadrotor. What then? Bean farts for fuel? Yer Tacodreamin’, baby …
Report Post »hi-polymer
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 11:36pmThe Feds don’t like Equal Opportunity Surveillance.
Report Post »dnewton
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 8:42pmI can’t imagine this is a serious complaint. I can hear the lawyers advising against the enterprise because of all of the legal liability. My legislature can not wait to regulate the idea into oblivion. Minimum training required, minimum insurance required, maximum payload required, minimum number of government people at the launch site verifying cargo. At the same time they would be giving subsidies for anyone that wanted to set up a factory to make them available to foreign countries. We would have to tax then just to be able to afford putting people in jail who would be shooting them. Only those running on alcohol or green energy batteries could be used by universities to do global warming research. We would have the cities setting up no fly zones to protect the competitors who did not use drones. There would be an fight over jurisdiction. Is this a zoning problem, a security problem or what? The power company puts a power line up on Friday and a drone crashes into it on Sunday. The FAA will probably demand that a flight plan be filed on all flights.
Report Post »hidden_lion
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 10:32pmshoot down all drones…..Even taco laden ones.
Report Post »brntout
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 8:36pmBean burrito missles fired from above,logical.
Report Post »digijock
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 8:34pmBut somehow, it’s still ok for animal-rights groups to use UAV drones to eavesdrop upon and harass hunters that they wish to torment. But, watch out PETA: don’t try to serve those hunters a taco (not even a vegan one) from that UAV or, by golly, the feds will take you down in a second. Go figure…
Report Post »AnimalsAsLeaders
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:50pmI would love to see someone “scatter bomb” the White House with a thousand tacos in protest. Tasty, tasty protest.
Report Post »1casawizard
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 8:15pmThis might turn out to be a Taco Bell kid toy. possibilities.
Report Post »Latter-Day-Soldier
Posted on March 25, 2012 at 1:05amIf that scenario occurred…I can imagine the payload on the majority those R.C. choppers would be $#it-bombs and maybe a few used colostomy bags addressed to the head of the T.S.A.
Report Post »AnimalsAsLeaders
Posted on March 25, 2012 at 1:53am@latter day soldier
Report Post »Great, that’d be like recycling. Obama would love us “going green” even while protesting…
azfelix
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:40pmThis is very bad news!
You remember those flying cars they promised that we would all be flying in the near future? Ain’t gonna happen now.
“Alas, poor George Jetson! I knew him Horatio”
Report Post »A Doctors Labor Is Not My Right
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 8:17pmThe TacoCopter would justify a market for civilian drones; But since such a market could be used to counter the unconstitutional drone use of our government (standing armies are dangerous, and government needs a warrant to monitor people – they can‘t just assume you’re up to no good), they are claiming authority to “regulate” commerce;
“Regulate” doesn’t mean what they think it means – this is clear where our Constitution gives the power of the national government to “regulate” commerce with foreign nations, in which context the same word is used for the power to “regulate” commerce between the several states and the indian tribes.
To “regulate” commerce is to make sure that the states aren’t ripping each other off – they are sovereign states, after all, and the national government serves as a go-between.
Report Post »Belchfire V-8
Posted on March 25, 2012 at 6:40pmNot having flying cars is a blessing. I see the way most people drive. Some of my current fellow pilots should be grounded as it is.
Report Post »knighttemplar999
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:38pmI have poo-copter that I use to drop my fresh poos onto random passerbys. It’s an entertaining hobby and I recommend it highly as a means to reach out and touch someone.
Report Post »1casawizard
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 8:05pm@999. Why don’t you just call them instead, or are you just trying to send another message you would not rather say in words? I like your thinking.
Report Post »Brooke Lorren
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 9:36pmPoo-copter… that‘s the OWS’s next innovation…
Report Post »G-WHIZ
Posted on March 26, 2012 at 10:51am“A little birdy in the sky….let some ‘white-wash’ in my eye…Gee I‘m glad elephants can’t fly!!” … But…with Barry’s ears… … …mabe?? :o)
Report Post »Deda1
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:14pmI guess the Feds hate competition.
Report Post »Thighmaster
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:09pmThere goes My donuts to cops by carrier pigeon idea. Aww poop!
Report Post »BeingThere
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:07pmWhat a stupid idea!! How about they just dangle tacos and fly across the border and we’ll see what happens! LOL
Report Post »BeingThere
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:10pmJust to clarify, that’s south, back into Mexico. Call it the Taco Piper :-)
Report Post »Thighmaster
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:06pmWouldn’t it be a bitch if your drone taco order got crossed with a US citizen government hit order and you got bombed instead ? I can see their ad now “Delivered in thirty minutes or you’re probably already dead”
Report Post »AB5r
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:03pmThey could deliver drugs that way and then if the police catch it the drone pilot could just abandon the equipment.
Report Post »1casawizard
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 8:11pmThat’s been thought of and done. They can’t carry much weight. A larger one could ,tho. but could be taken over by another transmitter. gamegonethen.
Report Post »progressiveslayer
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:01pmIf the tacocopter delivered guns to the drug cartels in Mexico Eric and his Marxist POS boss would give it the green light rest assured.
Report Post »Thevoice
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:07pmYes … and no doubt drones are the newest cheapest form of drug and money delivery system for the Mexican cartels …Any thing the “New age progressive communists” deem to outlaw control or regulate, creates the next and newest black market …
Report Post »Thevoice
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 7:01pmAnd this works in the real world on a rainy, snowy windy day how?
Report Post »Baddoggy
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 6:57pmI would do it anyway…Let the Feds eat a taco…I would fight it with everything I had. They have no right to control people like this. Oh but they can touch your junk with pedophile agents!
Report Post »brntout
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 8:45pmIn the article,they allude to “a bag of fish tacos”.Would that require a Chinookcopter to deliver if it were “tuna tacos”?
Report Post »GoodStuff
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 6:52pmGood thing we have the Federal gov’t to tell us what to do. What would do without them?
Report Post »AnimalsAsLeaders
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 8:26pmThis is why we can’t have nice things.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on March 24, 2012 at 6:52pmGeraldo! Yoo Hoo! Geraldo. Racist complaint heading your way. Heads up!!!
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