Wal-Mart Looks To Test Drones For Home Delivery: Reuters

(RTTNews) - Wal-Mart Inc. (WMT) has reportedly applied permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to test drones for home-delivery of its goods.

The world's largest retailer plans to test drones for several purposes, including home delivery, grocery pickup, and warehouse inventory management, according a report from Reuters.

The reports says Wal-Mart has been testing the drones indoors for months. The retailer intends to use drones built by China's DJI Technology Co. Ltd.

Wal-Mart has requested permission from the FAA to research drone use in "deliveries to customers at Walmart facilities, as well as to consumer homes," according to a copy of the application reviewed by Reuters.

Wal-Mart follows Amazon, Google and other companies that have done test of drones as the industry expects the FAA to soon permit the commercial use of drones.

In June, FAA Deputy Administrator Michael Whitaker said the agency plans to finalize regulations within the next 12 months, earlier than initially expected.