7-Eleven and Flirtey make milestone Slurpee delivery

Here’s something to cool off Americans on a scorching weekend across most of the United States: 7-Eleven’s ubiquitous Slurpees – which melt frustratingly fast – could be delivered to customers by drones following the successful autonomous delivery by the convenience store chain and Flirtey, a leading independent drone delivery service.

The “milestone delivery,” as the drone company called the stunt, took place in Reno, Nevada, and involved a Flirtey drone successfully transporting a cargo of Slurpees, a chicken sandwich, donuts, hot coffee and candy to a private residence in the city. This historic moment comes as welcome news to Slurpee aficionados suffering in gas station parking lots across the nation.

And while such deliveries are rare enough to warrant a news story, Flirtey’s CEO Matt Sweeney hopes that will change soon. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to enact updated rules in late August that allow the operation of small, unmanned aircraft in the national airspace. The recently passed FAA Reauthorization Act of 2016 mandates that the FAA develop drone delivery rules, and to conduct research on operating unmanned vehicles beyond the visual line of sight (BVOS).

Just don’t drink it too fast. Brain freeze!