Walmart is taking the competition up a notch, or rather, a few hundred feet.
In a move that comes nearly a year after Amazon was awarded a patent for a similar concept, the retail giant applied for a U.S. patent for a floating warehouse, Bloomberg reports.
The blimp would float above the country between 500 feet and 1,000 feet and would be operated autonomously or by a remote human pilot. The floating warehouse would contain multiple launching bays and would have drones picking up and delivering products from the aircraft to the homes of shoppers.
There are a number of advantages for a retailer operating an unmanned airborne warehouse, including the ability to serve a larger distribution area, and cutting costs by using drones rather than manpower to fulfill online orders, Bloomberg reports.
This is not the first time Walmart has announced an innovative concept this year. In April, it launched investment arm Store No.8, which aims to build relationships with tech entrepreneurs.
Amazon has filed several patents this year along with its own proposal for a sky-high warehouse. One patent incorporates the use of a beehive tower, which would act as a drone fulfillment center, while the other would take operations under the sea with packages being stored in specialized tanks.
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