ZIPLINE'S DRONES NOW DIVE FOR SPEED AND CLIMB TO BRAKE, NO NEW HARDWARE REQUIRED

Summary from the TLDR Hardware newsletter

Zipline shipped a software update, "Dynamic Flight Trajectories," that replaces its drones' flat climb-cruise-descend flight profile with a wave shape: climb while already moving, dip to build speed, deliver from altitude, then climb again to shed speed before landing, letting gravity do work the motors used to handle. The company reports the median mission got 48 seconds shorter, left 40.6 watt-hours more in the battery on landing, and brought the hottest hover motor home 8.9°C cooler, all from a firmware download to the existing fleet.