As Amazon.com Inc., illustrated yesterday when it announced its moving its drone testing operations to the U.K., the U.S. lags behind other nations in the field due to strict regulations implemented by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). But the fact is, robotic delivery services seem all but inevitable, with the first ever drone delivery test being carried out in the U.S. earlier this week.

The test was completed by independent drone delivery service startup Flirtey, in cooperation with the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS) and the convenience store chain 7-Eleven Inc., and saw the delivery of one coffee, donuts, candy, a chicken sandwich, and a Slurpee drink delivered to a Reno, Nevada resident’s home.

In the test, the Flirtey drone flew approximately one mile to the customer’s home, marking yet another milestone for the startup. Just last month it carried out the first ever ship-to-shore drone delivery, and has also carried out tests demonstrating how it’s possible to fly delivery drones safely in urban areas, with the approval of the FAA.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to have 7‑Eleven, the largest convenience chain in the world, embracing new technologies and working with us at Flirtey to make drone delivery a reality for customers all over the world,” said Flirtey CEO Matt Sweeny in a statement. “This is just the first step in our collaboration with 7‑Eleven. Flirtey’s historic drone deliveries to date have been stepping stones to store-to-home drone delivery, and today is a giant leap toward a not-too-distant future where we are delivering you convenience on demand.”

A tech firm partnering with 7/11 might seem unusual at first glance, but it does take advantage of the realities of modern America, in that people just can’t get enough of junk food, and people are becoming increasingly lazy as technology evolves.

“My wife and I both work and have three small children ages 7, 6 and 1,” said the Reno resident who received the first drone delivery. “The convenience of having access to instant, 24/7 drone delivery is priceless. It’s amazing that a flying robot just delivered us food and drinks in a matter of minutes.”

Chris Walach, director of operations for NIAS, said the test flight proved that it’s possible to use drones as delivery vehicles in a safe fashion.

“This delivery required special flight planning, risk analysis, and detailed flight procedures ensuring residential safety and privacy were equally integrated,” Walach explained, adding that the drone used GPS to navigate itself to the customer’s home, where it safely lowered the goods into his backyard.

The test went off without a hitch, but don’t expect to be able to call your local 7/11 for a drone-delivered six pack any time soon. Flirtey’s debut flight was only possible after it obtained special permission from the FAA, and even then it had to adhere to the rules that state the drone must remain within the operator’s line of sight at all times.

But drone delivery services will only really take off if and when the FAA moves to relax that restriction, and it seems unlikely that it’ll do so anytime soon, hence Amazon’s decision to pursue its own delivery drone project in a climate with less strict regulations.

Image credit: 7/11 & Flirtey