Amazon plans to use drones to deliver goods
① Drones are waiting to be loaded in an Amazon warehouse
② Rely on GPS to locate the delivery route
③ Place the goods firmly at the customers door
④ From the submission of the order to receive the goods, as soon as 30 minutes.
Amazon plans to use drones to deliver goods Buy good things from the Internet. Submit an order; A pleasant half-hour wait; Open the door, and an eight-oar drone has things firmly planted on the front lawn...
Science fiction? No, thats the reality amazon, the American online retailer, is working on. Amazon is planning to use remote-controlled drones to deliver small packages within four to five years, chief executive Jeff Bezos has said. By then, Amazon goods will be flown directly to customers doorsteps, ushering in a new era of shipping.
Drone delivery, 30 minutes
Jeff Bezos revealed amazons secret plans in an interview with US news programme 60 Minutes. The plan is being developed by a special laboratory in Seattle and is still in the experimental stage, he said.
According to Bezos, the drone Amazon is developing has eight propellers on top, hence the name Octocoptor. That way, even if one of the propellers is damaged, the whole drone can operate normally. Drones take off from Amazons warehouses and can deliver packages to customers in as little as half an hour.
The drones can carry up to five pounds and cover 86 percent of Amazons shipping service. With a 10-mile delivery range, it can reach a large customer base within a warehouse radius within the city.
Guided by the Global Positioning System (GPS), the drone is fully automated and pilot-free. Since the installation is completely electrified, it is very environmentally friendly and much better than driving around in a car! "Bezos said.
However, he points out that not all deliveries can be made by drones and that large goods such as rubber boats and tables will still need to be delivered by other means.
Being teased is too sci-fi to be realistic
Despite the huge demand for drones in various fields in the US, they are still highly controversial in the country.
Amazons plans have been derided as funny, ridiculous, and amazons own hype. Within minutes of Mr Bezoss interview, the Internet was flooded with sarcastic comments, accompanied by pictures of the space shuttle from various sci-fi blockbusters.
If you live in an apartment, you must have a key to the roof. "Tweeted Twitter user Dan Cook.
Isnt that where the trouble starts in the terminator movie? "Peter Abraham said.
If I drop my parcel in a cornfield, who will fetch it for me? Message from Bebop Vokes.
...
Against all the teasing is Mr Bezoss fierce determination that this will happen.
Currently, similar versions of Amazons drones cost around $14,000 each and fly at speeds of six metres a second. But amazons prototype is expected to cost more.
Federal Aviation Administration approval is required
Bezos said the drones are expected to be operational within the next four to five years. The plan is for drone deliveries to begin in the United States before expanding to other parts of the world. I know it seems like science fiction, but its not... "Bezos said. But he also admitted that there are many difficulties, such as the implementation of a large number of personnel redundancy, how to relocate the problem; Are drones and systems safe and reliable? You have to make sure that no drone lands on your head as you walk past your neighbors house, and so on.
None of these are amazons biggest obstacles, though. For now, they have to get permission from the FEDERAL Aviation Administration (FAA).
According to an Amazon spokesperson, the fully autonomous drones have not yet been approved for operation, and the promising air service is awaiting federal regulations, which are expected as early as 2015.
Earlier this year, the FEDERAL Reserve
The aviation authority has released a document that anticipates allowing police, businesses and amateurs to use drones on a large scale by 2015. If the FAA gradually liberalizes drone use, about 7,500 small drones are expected to be in use in US airspace over the next five years.
