Google has been working on drone-based delivery for a couple of years now, and it seems their labours are beginning to bear fruit.
In a short video released on Twitter by Aaref Hilaly, a partner at venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, a drone can be seen delivering a package.
Hilaly added that the drone should be able to hit speeds of up to 100kmh.
Watching baby steps of drone delivery, courtesy of Google X (5 miles in 5 mins is the promise) #zg15 pic.twitter.com/Xk2KyTRURP
— Aaref Hilaly (@aaref) October 19, 2015
Google's new chief executive, Sundar Pichai, retweeted the message shortly afterwards.
Gizmodo reported can take off and land vertically, and when it reaches its delivery point the package is lowered to the ground using high tensile fishing line.
The drone's design has changed considerably since its initial unveiling last August, when it looked like a big fixed wing aircraft with propellers lining its edge.
That design added flying speed, but was eventually deemed unfeasible for delivery operations.
The latest test drone takes a more conventional quadcopter shape with added aerofoils.
Google revealed its work on drone-based delivery - dubbed Project Wing - last year, saying it could boost economic growth and make life easier for consumers.
"Self-flying vehicles could open up entirely new approaches to moving goods – including options that are cheaper, faster, less wasteful and more environmentally sensitive than what’s possible today,” Google said in a release at the time.
"Throughout history, major shifts in how we move goods from place to place have led to new opportunities for economic growth and generally made consumers’ lives easier.
"From steam ships to the railroads, from the postal service to delivery services like FedEx and DHL, speed has reshaped society not only with greater convenience but also by making more goods accessible to more people,” it said.
The demonstration comes in the same week the US government decided to toughen its rules on drones and require owners to register their unmanned aircraft, citing concerns about rogue drone flights that pose a danger to commercial aircraft and crowded public venues.
