[hn_throwaway_99]

Hence, the article:

> As the company’s name teases, the idea may seem futuristic, but it’s far from new. Let’s call it a cousin of the pipe-forward delivery solution favored in the 19th and early 20th century — the pneumatic tube. In cities like London and New York, networks of pipes that snaked underground and through buildings allowed people to send urgent packages, telegrams, checks, and at least one sick cat whooshing through offices, banks and mailrooms, powered by compressed air.

[divbzero]

Pneumatic tubes are also still in use on a smaller scale: for trash collection [1], in hospitals [2], and in stores [3].

[1]: https://ny.curbed.com/2018/4/12/17226296/new-york-infrastruc...

[2]: https://www.swisslog-healthcare.com/en-gb/company/blog/how-a...

[3]: https://www.reddit.com/r/Costco/comments/zt29bw/my_costco_st...