Beer Drone Delivery Service For South African Music Festival

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Beer Drone Delivery Service For South African Music Festival

Posted by Unknown on Monday May 6, 2013 @12:00PM from the drone-strike-you-can-get-behind dept.

garymortimer writes "OppiKoppi music festival in South Africa plans to deliver beer to campers via flying robot." All I want to know is, when is beer via flying robot distribution coming to a grocery store near me.

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Ah, of course... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2013-05-06 12:05 · Score: 4, Funny

Drones were the only vehicles they could find that wouldn't be carjacked by the time they reached their destination, no?
1. Re:Ah, of course... by _merlin · 2013-05-06 13:40 · Score: 1
  
  It's a joke, and possibly in poor taste, but it shouldn't be marked flamebait. Carjacking really is an everyday occurrence in South Africa. My friend's daughter always carries a .44 when driving to work in Cape Town, as she needs something big enough to pull when people point a gun at her. Note that it's "when", not "if" - it happens every few months. Between that and the taxi wars (drivers shooting at other taxis for working their turf), Cape Town can be a pretty scary place to drive. But people will always joke about their misfortunes.
2. Re:Ah, of course... by hedleyroos · 2013-05-06 14:36 · Score: 2
  
  You've got the wrong city. The majority of Cape Town is safe. Johannesburg is dangerous.
3. Re:Ah, of course... by _merlin · 2013-05-06 15:32 · Score: 1
  
  It's all relative. Compared to my "home" in Australia, all of South Africa is dangerous, but compared to Afghanistan it's pretty safe. Joburg and Cape Town are pretty similar in the scale of things.
4. Re:Ah, of course... by inasity_rules · 2013-05-06 20:09 · Score: 1
  
  Both wrong. I live in Joburg, and don't carry a gun. There hasn't been a taxi war in years, and while violent crime does happen it isn't as common as people make out. Depending where you are of course, but a lot of Joburg is quite safe - and I do go to unsafe areas on occasion, but so far the worst I've witnessed is a smash and grab.
  
  --
  I have determined that my sig is indeterminate.
5. Re:Ah, of course... by goarilla · 2013-05-06 21:00 · Score: 1
  
  I never thought there would be such a thing as a "taxi war".
6. Re:Ah, of course... by inasity_rules · 2013-05-06 21:12 · Score: 1
  
  A taxi here can also be a small minibus. The lack of proper public transport and the fact that the "taxis" were all privately owned and run led to an escalation of violence in competing for passengers to the point where gunfights occurred... Hasn't happened in a long time tough.
  
  --
  I have determined that my sig is indeterminate.
7. Re:Ah, of course... by boristdog · 2013-05-07 02:31 · Score: 2
  
  Something is dangerous compared to the land of Australia? Where every creature carries enough venom to kill at least 423 adult humans?
  Man, that's dangerous.
8. Re:Ah, of course... by kryliss · 2013-05-07 05:50 · Score: 1
  
  And that is why Australia made such a good penal colony. :)
  
  --
  --- If the bible proves the existence of God, then Superman comics prove the existence of Superman.
9. Re:Ah, of course... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-07 07:40 · Score: 0
  
  Are there many kaffirs in Joburg, comparatively speaking?
  They (yarpies) tell me that GP stands for gangster paradise rather that gauteng province...
Redefining buzzed by a drone. by GoodNewsJimDotCom · 2013-05-06 12:13 · Score: 2

I won't take all the jokes though. I'm sure there's more.

--
God spoke to me
1. Re:Redefining buzzed by a drone. by flyneye · 2013-05-06 14:53 · Score: 1
  
  A brilliant idea like this comes along, our Repubmocrats want to enact drone bans here at home, and you want punchlines.
  
  --
  *Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
I'm sold. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-06 12:24 · Score: 1

I now no longer have any reservations about drones in the US. Privacy issues be damned!
Would you like your beer shaken or stirred? by xQx · 2013-05-06 12:28 · Score: 2

While I am a fan of the concept, it does look like that can will be undrinkable for some time on account of it being seriously shaken up.

Also, dropping a beer from that distance onto someone's head because the `shoot didn't deploy has got to be concern.

I think they would've been better to have the in a promotional beer cooler (stubby holder) on a string which they lowered to ground level (or reaching level for the recipient) then detached.
1. Re:Would you like your beer shaken or stirred? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-06 12:45 · Score: 1
  
  While I am a fan of the concept, it does look like that can will be undrinkable for some time on account of it being seriously shaken up.
  Also, dropping a beer from that distance onto someone's head because the `shoot didn't deploy has got to be concern.
  I think they would've been better to have the in a promotional beer cooler (stubby holder) on a string which they lowered to ground level (or reaching level for the recipient) then detached.
  Wow...I bet you were a lot of fun as a kid weren't you? Or perhaps you're the guy that ruins movies for everyone else by saying "Now that impossible, he fired that gun way to many times before he had to reload it. And that guy that fell off the roof before? He wouldn't have broken his legs he would have to be dead from that height. Don't the people who make these pay attention to anything?"
  "Hello. Im captain obvious and I am here to ruin your interesting ideas and destroy all of your fun with my powers of pointing out the obvious"
2. Re:Would you like your beer shaken or stirred? by mjwx · 2013-05-06 12:59 · Score: 2
  
  I think they would've been better to have the in a promotional beer cooler (stubby holder) on a string which they lowered to ground level (or reaching level for the recipient) then detached.
  Have you ever watched a drunk person try to detach something from a string?
  
  Whilst insanely hilarious, it is not very efficient.
  
  Having glanced at the article, my concern is what is the cost of delivering one can per drone trip? Also, how accurate is the drop, will your beer get caught in a crosswind and end up in the hands of the douchebag in tent #4?
  
  --
  Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
3. Re:Would you like your beer shaken or stirred? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-06 13:06 · Score: 1
  
  Watch how fast all those hippies that were "Peace and Love" one minute, lawyer-up and sue you for a million dollars the second one of them gets a scratch from a falling beer can.
4. Re:Would you like your beer shaken or stirred? by larry+bagina · 2013-05-06 13:16 · Score: 1
  
  While I am a fan of the concept, it does look like that can will be undrinkable for some time on account of it being seriously shaken up.
  Where "some time" is 30-45 seconds. Try it some time -- shake the fuck out of a can of beer or soda. Let it set for a minute and then open it.
  
  --
  Do you even lift?
  These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
5. Re:Would you like your beer shaken or stirred? by Jah-Wren+Ryel · 2013-05-06 13:33 · Score: 1
  
  20 Seconds is usually plenty of time for soda. I used to enjoy freaking people out by shaking a soda can, doing some patter for 20 seconds and then opening it.
  
  --
  When information is power, privacy is freedom.
6. Re:Would you like your beer shaken or stirred? by flyneye · 2013-05-06 15:01 · Score: 1
  
  With all the video game aficionados available. I don't think it would be a problem for an appropriate drone copter to set a draught down on my table, or even in my back yard. Where is your imagination, man? Imagination is more important than knowledge - A. Einstein
  Beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy. - B. Franklin
  I never drink water, fish fuck in it. -W.C.Fields
  BEEEER! -H. Simpson
  
  --
  *Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
7. Re: Would you like your beer shaken or stirred? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-06 18:54 · Score: 0
  
  Hey, this is South Africa. And a bunch of hardcore music fans in that Bieber will be eaten by the crowd if he dares show his face there. If the can does not hurt you, you ask for it to be dropped again ;)
8. Re: Would you like your beer shaken or stirred? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-06 23:22 · Score: 0
  
  Agreed, as a frequent South African Music festival goer, I can honestly say that I don't think the fellows here are too worried about a slight knock from a beer can.
  In fact at RamFest recently, somebody released tear gas into the crowd and they all sucked it up and partied harder. Not to mention flying beer cans are a frequent occurrence around camp sites as we are more than quite happy to throw a beer along to a fellow camper in need :)
9. Re:Would you like your beer shaken or stirred? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-07 00:15 · Score: 0
  
  You have obviously never been to "OppiKoppi"
  No one there would be the least bit concerned (or even notice) a can of beer landing on their heads...
drone or R/C? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-06 13:09 · Score: 4, Insightful

So are we calling everything that used to be called R/C aircraft, "Drones" now?
1. Re:drone or R/C? by ikaruga · 2013-05-06 21:58 · Score: 1
  
  Define "Drone".
  It's the same discussion between Robots and modern mechatronical Vehicles/Machines.
2. Re:drone or R/C? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-07 00:10 · Score: 0
  
  Drone - a sexless, useless male? Sounds about right.
No food? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-06 13:13 · Score: 0

What, no TacoCopter or BurritoBomber? For shame...
Grocery delivery by manu0601 · 2013-05-06 13:43 · Score: 1

Perhaps one day I will purchase goods from grocery over internet and have them delivered by a drone directly in my kitchen?
1. Re:Grocery delivery by femtobyte · 2013-05-06 14:00 · Score: 1
  
  Perhaps when impenetrable mobs are blocking all the roads between the store and your front porch. Until then, ... no. Even then, ... no.
2. Re:Grocery delivery by bill_mcgonigle · 2013-05-06 15:20 · Score: 1
  
  Perhaps one day I will purchase goods from grocery over internet and have them delivered by a drone directly in my kitchen?
  So far the luddites are winning this argument.
  
  --
  My God, it's Full of Source!
  OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
3. Re:Grocery delivery by Animats · 2013-05-06 18:56 · Score: 1
  
  Perhaps one day I will purchase goods from grocery over internet and have them delivered by a drone directly in my kitchen?
  A small battery powered quadrotor may be the solution for curb-to-house delivery. The last few meters between the self-driving delivery truck and the house or apartment are currently an obstacle for fully automated delivery. Autonomous robots capable of dealing with steps, gates, and junk on the lawn are still experimental and expensive. Quadrotors can glide over all that stuff. Modest quadrotors are now able to lift a load of about 2Kg, If that can be raised to 15Kg or so, that's enough for most grocery totes.
  All the customer needs is a phone, an account, and a doormat with a target to show where the delivery goes.
under age drinking? by Joe_Dragon · 2013-05-06 13:43 · Score: 1

under age drinking? how will they be able to do a age check?
1. Re:under age drinking? by femtobyte · 2013-05-06 14:24 · Score: 2
  
  How stringent is underage drinking checking anyway in South Africa at big outdoor concerts? Perhaps the delivery zone is already restricted admittance for above drinking age only. The payment method (when you make orders by phone) may also allow some level of age verification.
2. Re:under age drinking? by turkeyfish · 2013-05-06 16:09 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  The adults are taller so they should be able to reach the beer first.
  Great idea, but its likely to only stimulate the development of interceptor drones out to get one keg up on the other drones.
3. Re:under age drinking? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-06 17:53 · Score: 1
  
  Great idea, but its likely to only stimulate the development of interceptor drones out to get one keg up on the other drones.
  Why isn't this an annual robotics contest yet?
4. Re:under age drinking? by Hognoxious · 2013-05-06 19:25 · Score: 1
  
  It's South Africa, they don't give a fuck.
  But if they did decide to, I'm sure a trade school would come up with a better solution than a university.
  
  --
  Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
5. Re:under age drinking? by cornjones · 2013-05-07 04:22 · Score: 1
  
  Great idea, but its likely to only stimulate the development of interceptor drones out to get one keg up on the other drones.
  Why isn't this an annual robotics contest yet?
  from TFA, it is.
Just call it by JustOK · 2013-05-06 13:52 · Score: 1

A buzz bomb.

--
rewriting history since 2109
Conspiracy? by olip85 · 2013-05-06 14:08 · Score: 1

That's just a government plot that will make us more tolerant to the idea of drones. First, drones serving beer. Then, drones serving bombs!
package interception? by i.r.id10t · 2013-05-06 14:30 · Score: 1

Back In The Old Days, we'd have to wait outside for our pizza delivery. Otherwise one of our many fellow student neighbors would claim it as theirs just to get one *now* instead of calling themselves...

--
Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos
1. Re:package interception? by turkeyfish · 2013-05-06 16:11 · Score: 1
  
  Exactly. Now they can just attach a brick to the can and it will go right through the roof into your living room. With precise enough GPS, there will be no need to even get up out of the sofa.
Stupid malfunctions by Sloppy · 2013-05-06 14:32 · Score: 1

Mine brought me a light saber! *grumble* Where's my beer?!

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As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
Forget the flying car by dbIII · 2013-05-06 14:44 · Score: 1

Forget the flying car, a better future has arrived :)
Imagine what this tech will do for by kilodelta · 2013-05-06 15:25 · Score: 1

Take out food of all sorts. Pizza deliveries, Chinese food, Japanese food, Indian Food, Italian food flown to your doorstep.
1. Re:Imagine what this tech will do for by kcelery · 2013-05-06 16:03 · Score: 1
  
  The whole process could be automated. Ordering, billing, pay through whatever and delivery.
  The guy who order should send their GPS location. When the UAV delivery vehicle arrives,
  the guy who ordered should flash some light to guide the arriving flight. Then the UAV would
  home in and hover. The guy on the ground hold up his cell phone to display a QR code
  to confirm his identity. The UAV will land and release the food after the QR code is validated.
2. Re:Imagine what this tech will do for by kilodelta · 2013-05-06 16:11 · Score: 1
  
  Yep - pretty cool thing to work out isn't it? Of course the system could be hacked.
3. Re:Imagine what this tech will do for by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-07 02:33 · Score: 0
  
  ... and the microwave compartment reheats everything (and nukes the surrounding population, screw them!) on arrival.
  ... at which time the spoon feeding bot takes over and assists with the container to digestive tract interface
  ... and lastly, the ass wiping robot handles the final step in the process.
4. Re:Imagine what this tech will do for by cellocgw · 2013-05-07 04:42 · Score: 1
  
  The whole process could be automated. Ordering, billing, pay through whatever and delivery.
  The guy who order should send their GPS location. When the UAV delivery vehicle arrives,
  the guy who ordered should flash some light to guide the arriving flight. Then the UAV would
  home in and hover. The guy on the ground hold up his cell phone to display a QR code
  to confirm his identity. The UAV will land and release the food after the QR code is validated.
  Yeah but it works a lot faster and more reliably if it's delivered by a punk on a gyro-stabilized skateboard.
  
  --
  https://app.box.com/WitthoftResume Code: https://github.com/cellocgw
Just have an Alien Prawn deliver it! by fluffy99 · 2013-05-06 16:24 · Score: 1

From the article "More updates to follow, but you will be able to order beers from your phone to the District 9 campsite in 2013."
Wait? The District 9 camp in Africa? Heck just have one of the alien prawns deliver it for you! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136608/
Medical stores?! by kamathln · 2013-05-06 18:08 · Score: 1

Once perfected , imagine being able to deliver emergency medicine to places not easily reachable by road.
beer vs xkcd by jamesh · 2013-05-06 18:40 · Score: 2

Delivering beer via drone seems far better than this idea.
1. Re:beer vs xkcd by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-07 02:46 · Score: 0
  
  *buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*
  WRONG!
  *zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzub*
  p.s. I wanted to use capital Z's to indicate an approaching/departing drone, but /. is a party pooper "Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING."
  ONLY IF I'M USING REAL WORDS!!
  p.s.s having seen the above pass the filter I hope everyone joins me in a round of slow capping.
in Soviet Russia by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-06 18:41 · Score: 0

In Soviet Russia beer delivers YOU!
dutchmen by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-06 21:19 · Score: 0

can finally be avoided safely
Which begs the question.... by Orleron · 2013-05-07 01:01 · Score: 2

What is the airspeed velocity of a beer laden drone?
1. Re:Which begs the question.... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-07 02:17 · Score: 0
  
  African or... wait, never mind.
2. Re:Which begs the question.... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-07 02:23 · Score: 0
  
  American or European beer?
3. Re:Which begs the question.... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-08 17:09 · Score: 0
  
  That's a trick question, isn't it?
If I'm at a South African music festival by saturnianjourneyman · 2013-05-07 02:19 · Score: 1

I want to drones to take out the vuvuzela-players first. Then they can deliver my beer.
Why not beer as a cloud service? by SwedishCoward · 2013-05-20 22:09 · Score: 1

Raining beer - funnel included for premium subscribers.