# A look at Zipline's future & the design of the Zip's Droid

- Show: [The Robot Report Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast)
- Published: 2024-02-07
- Length: 1h 06m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2024-02-07-a-look-at-ziplines-future-the-design-of-the-zips-droid
- Listen: https://soundcloud.com/robot-report-podcast/a-look-at-ziplines-future-the-design-of-the-zip-droid

## Summary

Zipline co-founder and CTO Keenan Wyrobek and lead droid engineer Stephen Killian discuss the company's evolution from medical drone delivery in Rwanda to its new 'ZipDroid' platform for urban last-mile delivery. They detail the engineering challenges of achieving precise, quiet, all-weather delivery in dense environments, including the development of a decoupled control system and acoustic detect-and-avoid technology. The conversation also covers Zipline's recent FAA approval for autonomous flight in US airspace and its upcoming pilot in Dallas.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2024-02-07-a-look-at-ziplines-future-the-design-of-the-zips-droid#t=7) Introduction and Manifest Update
- [2:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2024-02-07-a-look-at-ziplines-future-the-design-of-the-zips-droid#t=154) Boston Dynamics Atlas and Industry News
- [6:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2024-02-07-a-look-at-ziplines-future-the-design-of-the-zips-droid#t=379) Autonomous Driving Shakeout and Manifest Recap
- [21:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2024-02-07-a-look-at-ziplines-future-the-design-of-the-zips-droid#t=1300) Zipline History and ROS Legacy
- [30:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2024-02-07-a-look-at-ziplines-future-the-design-of-the-zips-droid#t=1819) Platform 1 Design and Rwanda Deployment
- [40:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2024-02-07-a-look-at-ziplines-future-the-design-of-the-zips-droid#t=2407) Platform 2 and ZipDroid Engineering
- [52:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2024-02-07-a-look-at-ziplines-future-the-design-of-the-zips-droid#t=3137) Regulatory Approval and Future Roadmap

## Topics

- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Design for manufacturing & NPI](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/design-for-manufacturing)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Certification & compliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/certification-and-compliance)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Zipline (company)
- Boston Dynamics (company)
- Atlas (product)
- Cruise (company)
- Willow Garage (company)
- ROS (tool)
- Manifest (other)
- ZipDroid (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Episode 103: Delivering medicine by drone - Keenan Wyrobek](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2024-12-20-episode-103-delivering-medicine-by-drone-keenan-wyrobek) (Robot Talk)
- [Delivering the future in drones with Keller Rinaudo Cliffton of Zipline](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-07-13-delivering-the-future-in-drones-with-keller-rinaudo-cliffton-of-zipline) (How I Built This)
- [348: Flop Onto the Bouncy Castle](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-10-15-348-flop-onto-the-bouncy-castle) (Embedded.fm)
- [Keenan Wyrobek (Co-founder/CTO, Zipline)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-07-29-keenan-wyrobek-co-founder-cto-zipline) (Just Gonna Send It)
- [#020: The Hidden Architecture of Autonomy: How Skydio Drones Think, See, and Connect](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2026-01-29-020-the-hidden-architecture-of-autonomy-how-skydio-drones-think-see-and-connect) (Coredump Sessions)

## Citing this page

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