Virginia Tech’s Role in Project Wing

Mark Blanks, director of Virginia Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, said the university worked with Alphabet’s team, called Project Wing, for months before the drones began buzzing over Blacksburg in September.

The preparations were shrouded in secrecy, but Blanks said he always knew the project was going to make waves.

“I remember telling people beforehand that I figured it would hit CNN when it went out there. Sure enough, within about two hours it was there,” Blanks said. “I was hoping the focus would stay more on the research effort it truly was and less on the burrito aspect. But that’s what made it go viral.”

The experiment shined a national spotlight on Blacksburg, as media organizations including Bloomberg, Time and TechCrunch covered the flights.

Project Wing said the service was closed to the public and that no professional photography was allowed on the test grounds, but The Roanoke Times was allowed to order a burrito and take cellphone photos.

It represented the first time Alphabet, or any other major tech company, offered a drone delivery service to the public — even if only in Blacksburg during a couple hours each day for about one month.

Now that the experiment is over, Blanks still declined to discuss anything he referred to as “operational details,” like the number of burritos delivered or any incidents that may have occurred.

A Project Wing spokesperson also declined to offer more than a brief statement that touted the success of the experiment.

Since the Blacksburg flights, Dave Vos, who led Project Wing, has stepped down. Bloomberg also reported in November that Alphabet nixed plans for a second drone delivery experiment, which would have sold Starbucks instead of Chipotle.

Asked if Virginia Tech and Project Wing have any plans for future collaborations, Blanks — once again — demurred because of the proprietary nature of the research.

“I think they (Project Wing) would tell you they absolutely did have a good experience here,” Blanks said. “We’ve certainly had a great relationship and I hope it leads to many more future efforts together.”

Blanks also avoided specifics when asked if Virginia Tech is working with any other tech giants that have drone delivery ambitions, such as e-commerce giant Amazon.

“There’s not many people we haven’t talked to,” Blanks said. “We’re heavily engaged in the industry and we have projects with, literally, dozens or hundreds of sponsors.”

The Federal Aviation Administration has designated six Unmanned Aerial Systems test sites, including Virginia Tech. According to Blanks, the university has recorded more drone flight hours than all of the other test sites combined.

He added that research institutions all use different measures of success, but all the activity indicates Virginia Tech is becoming a standout in the industry.

“My focus now is that the projects we do, they all need to address some bigger challenge,” Blanks said. “They all need to be focused on, how do I enable that burrito delivery to be more than just a test case, but a widespread thing.”

Photos: MICHAEL SHROYER/SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES

Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch