In 2013, Amazon told the world that they wanted to start delivering stuff straight to your backyard, using drones. It seemed like a science-fiction pipedream, but here we are in 2015, and they’re still working on it while waiting for the “regulatory support needed to realise our vision”.
Here’s the company’s latest model of its delivery drone in action (using actual footage), interspersed with scenes of Jeremy Clarkson looking as disinterested in a contractual obligation as is humanly possible.
In this swift, robotic future, all Amazon can see is $$$$. All I can see is a whole lotta this:
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15 responses to “Amazon’s New Delivery Drone Looks Like A Flying Bed”
In all seriousness if that option was available to me I’d take it.
If they could deliver Pizza by Drone I’d also use that option.
If the price is right, I’d do it once for the novelty (if we had Amazon in australia) but imagine it would be quite pricey for the first few years.
You’ve got me there, I wasn’t factoring in the price at all.
For it to work there would need to at least be an Amazon Warehouse in each capital city. But one day it could be completely viable, people could even start installing parcel chutes on their roofs.
Yeh you’re right. I did a quick google and amazon has between 1 and 7 fullfillment centres in each state on east coast, north east border, west coast of USA + Texas. So seems quite viable for high-priced 30 minute deliveries in city centers.
Give it 10 years to hit Australia probs 🙁 Maybe Kogan or another aussie ecommerce site will trial it.
Nah, the wind from the rotors would make the pizza cold too fast…
A Pizza Deliver Drone would have an insulated Pizza Compartment and would probably be wider than the one we saw.
Yeah…I was kidding…
Should have thrown some smilies in, :p.
While I love the idea and technology, I can’t help but to worry about the feasibility. What could you possibly need that you can’t jump down to the shops and buy in the same time it would take to order and get it delivered?
If it’s that urgent… go buy it yourself.
And it’s obviously limited by object size.
Perhaps something like medication from the chemist for those who can’t easily get there themselves…. that could be a good use case.
Can’t see myself caring about getting a book in 15min and can’t see myself trusting delivery of a new mobile phone to a drone…
In 50 years or so, this could be how all packages are delivered, obviously they aren’t going to make a flying one that can deliver you a 20kg bag of concrete. Not every drone is going to fly either, some could be driverless cars that can back down your driveway and unload boxes of groceries.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be urgent, it’s called convenience and time-saving.
Sure, I could hop in the car, drive 10-15 mins down to the shops, take another 20 mins to find what I’m looking for, line up in queues, queue to get out of the parking lot because someone didn’t pay for their parking ticket at the machine first, then drive another 10-15 mins home.
Or I could just place my order online and do something else in that time I just saved.
As long as the price is reasonable, I don’t see why you wouldn’t. Let them worry about the feasibility. And I’m sure they would have some sort of policy for losing your package.
What if someone tries to flog the drone as it lands in your back yard? What if they hit it with an EMP? Bye bye drone.
What if somebody mugs my Parcel Delivery guy? What if he gets into a traffic accident? What if the dispatch center has a fire?
If somebody steals the drone the onboard camera will have recorded them doing it. What are people going to turn to a life of Crime just because we change the Tech we use?
How do you get the A target? Drone?
Somehow I have the feeling that it may never happen. There have been far too many incidents where drones have caused injury or damage in populated areas to make it feasible to allow them to fly where there are people. Latest incident? An 18 month old boy got his eye sliced open by a drone that hit a tree and spiralled out of control. Granted it was a human controlling it, but even the fact that they were an experienced pilot didn’t mean an accident couldn’t happen.
Amazon is going have to convince people pretty strongly that their AI has layer upon layer of safety protocols to ensure that their drones can handle any emergency situation thrown at them. Unmanned cars moving along a 2 dimensional plane are one thing, but small, lightweight craft moving through a 3D space are an entirely different concern.