This article was taken from the March 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.

Petulant man-boy tycoons In the US wishing to command armies of quadcopters are sulking because the Federal Aviation Administration has yet to finalise rules on how commercial drones ply the sky.

Curses! Elsewhere, though, drone-enabled deliveries are starting to get off the ground. These pint-size copters can quickly ferry lifesaving supplies to remote places, deliver books on the double, and, yes, drop off pepperoni pizzas.

Payload Medicines including painkillers or anticoagulants.

Method Automated [but a pilot monitors the flight].

Status A local ferry services makes daily runs to the island of Juist, but the drone is for more urgent orders; the flight takes a mere 17 minutes.

Payload Pizza.

Method Preprogrammed via GPS and equipped with cameras monitored from the pizza restaurant; the food is dropped down to the customer on a cable.

Status If you're in Syktyvkar, just cal Dodo Pizza and order.

Payload Antibiotics from the hospital in the Himalayan capital of Thimphu, 2,350m above sea level, delivered to a remote mountain health clinic.

Method Automated [after operators program in the destination].

Status Tests ran in August 2014l a roll-out is planned for 2015.

Payload Saliva samples for tuberculosis testing, from Malalaua Health Centre to Krema General Hospital; the drone shortens what can be a days-long overland trip to one hour.

Method Automated

Status Tests ran in September 2014 in anticipation of a 2015 roll-out.

Payload Dog treats, cattle vaccines and a first aid kit for farmers.

Method Will be preprogrammed; once in position, it lowers the package on a line and a bundle of sensors detect when the package has hit the ground.

Status It's still in the early-stage research process.

Payload Physics and law textbooks to students at the University of Sydney [who support Flirtley, the delivery startup], reducing delivery time from two to three days to a few minutes.

Method Automated

Status More testing is ongoing at the University of Nevada, Reno.

This article was originally published by WIRED UK