Amazon and Google won't be the only companies with drones buzzing overhead. Walmart has applied for permission to use the gadgets for deliveries and other tasks.
The retail giant this week asked the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to test drones for things like package delivery and inventory monitoring.
After months of indoor tests, Walmart is itching to fly in open airspace using DJI drones. Commercial drone use is still restricted in the U.S., though, and companies must apply for FAA waivers for wider tests of the technology.
Amazon got permission in March (though that was not fast enough for the retail giant) and the first FAA-approved drone delivery took place in July with a medical company in Virginia.
For Walmart, drones could facilitate the retailer's growing grocery pickup service by delivering a package to a set location—the parking lot of a store, for example. They could also deploy from a truck to "safely deliver a package at a home and then return safely," the application said.
"Drones have a lot of potential to further connect our vast network of stores, distribution centers, fulfillment centers and transportation fleet," a Walmart spokesman told Reuters. "There is a Walmart within five miles of 70 percent of the U.S. population, which creates some unique and interesting possibilities for serving customers with drones."
If it gets the thumbs up, Walmart also intends to equip the systems with electronic tagging technology, to take stock of the hundreds of trailers and other items in its warehouse parking lots.
For now, there's nothing to do but wait: The FAA will review Walmart's application to determine whether it can be fast-tracked, or needs a detailed risk analysis and public comment, Reuters said. The company can expect a response in about four months.
Walmart did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.