Uber has announced intention to deliver meals via drones. Since Federal law requires drones to be operated by human pilots with clear line of sight, it makes me wonder if a new job role will call for gig workers that are stationed in strategic positions to form a mesh network to pilot these drones. One can imagine them handing off control of a particular drone from pilot to pilot. Since a pilot can presumably operate only one drone at a time, will it be necessary to rent space on flat rooftops in order for drones to "rest" as they wait for the hand off to complete and avoid needlessly burning battery power? Can the pilots operate from rooftops themselves? Had strict will the line of sight rule be enforced? In most scenarios it seems difficult to manage meaningful delivery coverage in typical urban or suburban environments without at least brief occlusions. Will the pilots be using FPV goggles? It will be interesting to see how this develops!
