NASA working on automated traffic control system for drones, first commercial drones expected 2015 in agriculture

The tech industry’s fascination with creating small delivery drones seems to be advancing faster than figuring out regulations and use cases for these devices.

On Thursday, Google unveiled Project Wing, an initiative by the company’s advanced projects team, Google X. A video demonstrated an aircraft — appearing to be part plane, part helicopter — utilizing a 200-foot fishing line to deliver dog treats to a farmer in Queensland, Australia.

However, delivery-by-drone service, as thrilling as it might be for some, still faces a plethora of complications. Drone technology remains largely untested in populated regions, and commercial drone use is currently prohibited in the United States. Moreover, it remains uncertain as to whether firms could turn a profit from using high-tech, helicopter-like vehicles to deliver daily essentials such as pet food or toothpaste.

Dozens of companies have been exploring the use of drones for activities such as crop dusting and monitoring pipeline or railway breaks. Late last year, Amazon revealed its delivery service, Prime Air, which it suggests could soon deliver packages to clients within 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, researchers at NASA are devising ways to manage the array of low-flying aircraft. NASA’s Moffett Field, located about four miles from Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., has been the site of a drone traffic management system development, likely a separate air traffic control system for objects that fly close to the ground — approximately 400 to 500 feet for most drones.

Helmeted individuals staring at radar screens in a dark room might be what most people think of when envisioning an air traffic control center, but NASA’s system, like the drones it plans to manage, would replace humans with computers and algorithms determining where the drones can and can’t fly.

The ultimate success of commercial drone delivery will heavily rely on two factors: population density and the amount people will pay for the service. Dr. Kopardekar of NASA believes the first commercial applications will be in agriculture and asset monitoring, such as crop surveillance or remote oil pipeline inspections.

Dr. Kopardekar anticipates drone delivery service in sparsely populated regions, like rural Australia, could be available within the next five years. Google has already begun these deliveries in Australia, dispatching items such as cattle vaccines and chocolate bars to farmers.

Certainly, before any of these plans can go ahead, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), who control U.S. airspace, would need to approve any drone management system. An FAA spokesperson stated they expect to publish proposed rules for small unmanned aircraft this year.

Despite the FAA’s prohibition on commercial drone use, hobbyists and photographers have been deploying drones, creating captivating content and arousing intense debate over the regulation of this emerging technology.

Google plans to spend the next year augmenting its drone’s navigation capabilities and its “detect and avoid” system, a network of sensors preventing the drone from colliding with objects. It is expected to take a few years but less than a decade for realistic public use.

However, for drones to become commonplace in urban areas, public acceptance and regulations prove to be as substantial factors to address as the technology itself.

As seen with a short-lived drone delivery stunt by a British franchisee of Domino’s Pizza, drone delivery is far from becoming a mainstay in the sector. The company cited multiple reasons, from safety concerns to drone theft, as factors hampering the prevalence of drone delivery services.

*This article was updated in 2025 to reflect modern realities.*