{
  "id": 1685177,
  "title": "How Zipline’s drone delivery system works in U.S. suburbs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/how-ziplines-drone-delivery-system-works-in-u-s-suburbs",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-18T10:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Scientific American",
    "slug": "scientific-american",
    "url": "https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-ziplines-drone-delivery-system-works-in-u-s-suburbs/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Drone delivery has reached America's backyards with Zipline's innovative tethered system. Instead of the usual noisy quadcopters, Zipline's drones employ a unique approach to deliver packages in suburban areas. At a testing facility near San Francisco, a white box resembling a gym bag drops from a drone hovering 260 feet above the ground. The box, connected to the drone by a cable, uses thrusters and infrared cameras to land precisely on four small gray fins, marking the beginning of a new era in drone delivery.",
  "summary": "Zipline’s tethered delivery system lowers packages from the sky. Now it has to show that people want the service",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}