Zipline’s Approach to Safety
As the world’s leading autonomous, instant delivery service, Zipline is building a global logistics system that brings all people of the world what they need, when they need it – safely, reliably, quietly, and with minimal impact on the planet. Our solution has been implemented and brought to scale to serve millions of individuals across Ghana, Rwanda, an archipelago in Japan, and in the U.S.. Through these experiences, we’ve learned the profound impact of a supply chain re-imagined by instant delivery. Each of these miles flown across varied settings and use cases, has taught us, and continues to teach us, how we can optimize customer experiences – keeping safety and reliability at top priority – to inevitably transform the way we live and how we access what we need.
Technology Testing and Evaluation
Zipline engineers spend years developing and testing our technology hardware and software to ensure its capability to safely, reliably, precisely, and effectively deliver what people need, exactly when and where they need it. Our team is continuously innovating to advance the safety and reliability of our aircraft and operations.
Safety Management System (SMS)
By adopting international aviation standards and industry best practices, our ever-growing safety program aims at leading the drone industry in managing risk and operating safely.
Pre-flight Technology and Decision-making
In addition to tip-to-tip inspection by a Zipline team member, our drones perform automated pre-flight system checks to ensure that each is safe and ready for flight before a delivery takes place. Integrated data from maintenance and flight records enable our operators to make informed decisions about flights and safety. Weather and air traffic are also monitored by our trained aviation professionals to ensure safety of the flight.
On-board Redundancy and Fault Tolerance
To maintain the highest standards of safety, our zips feature numerous redundant, or back-up systems. For example, each Zip has two electric motors, two GPS navigation systems, and multiple communications systems. If one of these systems fails, the back-up activates automatically. Although Zips fly autonomously, our professional aviation teams closely track and monitor each flight through our custom-developed monitoring system.
Preflight inspections, redundant functional systems, and monitoring by our operations team provide three layers of operational redundancy to optimize the safety of our flights.
Paraland System
In the unlikely event that one of our drones needs to land quickly, such as because of a sudden weather event, we’ve built a unique, additional layer of protection: our Parachute Landing System. Zipline’s Paraland System is one of our proudest safety features. If our operators, or the computers onboard the Zip determine the best course of action is to remove the drone from the airspace, this whole-aircraft parachute is deployed, which allows the drone to gently land. The frangible design of our Zips minimize damage to anything on the ground.
