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Drone that delivers food

June 13, 2013 10:39 IST
A flying sushi service tray known as the itray, created using miniature remote-controlled helicopter rotor blades, is demonstrated at a Yo! Sushi restaurant in London

A Sushi chain in the United Kingdom has introduced the world's first flying tray to deliver food to its customers.

The 'iTray', which is now being trialled at YO! Sushi Soho with a view to rolling it out across the UK next year, is a high-tech flying platter custom built using the RC Drone quadicopter technology and is remote controlled through an on-board Wi-Fi system and iPad software.

Not yet capable of carrying the weight of the burger it was designed to serve, it is being tested outside with polysterene food and prawn crackers.

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Drone that delivers food

June 13, 2013 10:39 IST
A flying sushi service tray known as the itray, created using miniature remote-controlled helicopter rotor blades, is demonstrated at a Yo! Sushi restaurant in London

The gadget is made from a light-weight carbon fibre frame and consists of four propellers making it incredibly nippy.

Two built-in HD cameras allow YO! Sushi kitchen staff to check that the new burger range is delivered through a real time video broadcast viewable on an iPad screen.

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Drone that delivers food

June 13, 2013 10:39 IST
A flying sushi service tray known as the itray, created using miniature remote-controlled helicopter rotor blades, is demonstrated at a Yo! Sushi restaurant in London

In a promotional video, a customer raved, "When I ordered the burger, I didn't imagine it was ever going to come flying across into my face on a tray. It was amazing. It was the weirdest thing. It was like something out of a science fiction novel." 

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Drone that delivers food

June 13, 2013 10:39 IST
A flying sushi service tray known as the itray created using miniature remote-controlled helicopter rotor blades, is shown by a member of staff at the restaurant

But YO! Sushi isn't the only food company taking to the skies. TIME reports that there is also a San Francisco-based restaurant that's delivering Burrito "bombs" with a flying drone, and Domino's is considering a "DomiCopter" to transport in the UK and Ireland.

Media reports said that these are, however, only prototypes, which are not yet legal.

The Federal Aviation Administration has yet to regulate the commercial use of drones.

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June 13, 2013 10:39 IST

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