Funeral flight

Hypermarket, discount department store and grocery operator Walmart is expanding its drone delivery service, which is provided by its partner Zipline. It has announced the addition of 300 drone delivery sites across the United States.

Since 2021, Walmart has completed more than two million deliveries of consumer goods through Zipline. More customers are trying the service because of its convenience.

Greg Cathey, senior vice president for eCommerce Fulfillment Transformation at Walmart, said drone delivery also puts Walmart’s stores closer to the communities they serve and speeds up its service, a statement on the company’s website read.

In China, drones have spawned new services with promising business potential. The technology has earned a place in the funeral industry, particularly in send-off rituals for the dead.

In traditional Chinese funerals, the Guanyin, or Goddess of Mercy, statue is used by Buddhist and Taoist followers to symbolically escort the soul of the deceased safely to the afterlife. Guanyin is also invoked to extend mercy, absolve sins and facilitate the soul’s transition to the “Western Paradise.”

A viral video posted on Chinese social media platforms in early November showed two illuminated drones — one carrying a glowing Guanyin statue and the other a figure of the deceased — taking off from a funeral gathering in a courtyard and broadcasting voice messages before gradually flying away, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

The voice of the deceased man was recreated by the drone service company using artificial intelligence (AI).

“Birth, aging, illness, and death are the natural order of life. No one can accompany us throughout our whole lives. I am content to have lived with you for so many years,” the AI-generated voice, purporting to be the deceased, said, according to SCMP.

The viral clip also played a recording of a female voice from the Guanyin drone: “I have come to escort the old gentleman. We will head west, and I will fulfill his wish. May you have peace and good health. It is time to say goodbye.”

The two drones were then shown flying away from the crowd, simulating the escorting of the dead to paradise, as a famous Buddhist song played in the background.