As detailed in a recent Business of Fashion story, Walmart has officially applied for a patent for a floating, blimp-style warehouse that could fulfill orders with drones, simultaneously cutting out the shipping middleman and the need for any human interaction.
The plans are a far more specific take on an idea Amazon patented last year, and would “fly at heights between 500 feet and 1,000 feet (as much as 305 [meters]), contain multiple launching bays, and be operated autonomously or by a remote human pilot,” according to the story.
As of late, Walmart has been trying to compete with Amazon on virtually every front, and — if Walmart can somehow actualize an idea that may or may not have been pitched as “District 9 but with paper towels” (a big if) — this latest patent application could theoretically grant the world’s largest retailer a major logistical advantage moving forward.
“An unmanned airborne warehouse — laden with drones — could help retailers lower the costs of fulfilling online orders, particularly the so-called ‘last mile’ to a customer’s house, which is usually handled by a local or national logistics company,” the story notes.
At first glance, the concept does sound kind of cool: An army of drones, ferried through the skies by a series of low-flying warehouse ships, delivering on-demand goods with startling efficiency. And on paper, it’s easy to argue that the service would simply allow Walmart to reach more customers.
But if this unmanned tech just makes it easier to not visit a Walmart store (and it would), then it could also have a drastic effect on the 2.2 million people the company currently employs.
You can read more about it at BoF.
