Published 15:04 IST, June 6th 2019
Amazon drone delivery soon: This is how Amazon plans to deliver packages by drones
E-commerce giant Amazon said that it plans to make use of self-piloted drones to deliver packages to shoppers’ home in the coming months
E-commerce giant Amazon said that it plans to make use of self-piloted drones to deliver packages to shoppers’ home in the coming months. However, Amazo did not offer a specific timeline as to when the drones will be making deliveries. Amazon drones use computer vision and machine learning to detect and avoid people or clotheslines in backyards when landing.
“From paragliders to power lines to a corgi in the backyard, the brain of the drone has safety covered,” said Jeff Wilke, who oversees Amazon’s retail business.
Amazon's drones are fully electric and they can fly up to 15 miles (24 kilometers), deliver in 30 minutes and carry goods that weigh up to 5 pounds (2.3 kilograms), similar to a paperback or toothpaste. It has been quite some time since Amazon is working on drone-based deliveries.
Back in December 2013, Amazon's founder and chief executive officer Jeff Bezos told the “60 Minutes” news show that drones would be flying to customer’s homes within five years. But that deadline passed due to regulatory impediments.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates the commercial use of drones in the U.S., is yet to comment. In April, a subsidiary of search giant Google won approval from the FAA to make drone deliveries in parts of Virginia.
Wilke said that Amazon is working with many regulatory agencies seeking approval.
“We expect to do it within months,” he said.
Earlier this year, Amazon started testing a new, fully-electric autonomous delivery system called Amazon Scout. Initially, it will only deliver packages to customers in a neighbourhood in Snohomish County, Washington.
In a nutshell, Amazon Scout is Amazon's in-house army of fully-electric, autonomous robots that "roll along sidewalks at a walking pace." But Amazon is not the first company to experiment with such a delivery system.
Starship is developing a small, autonomous delivery vehicle. Another startup Marble is building something similar.
Now, Amazo relying on drones and robots to deliver packages would spice up the competition to some extent, leading to widespread adoption of autonomous delivery vehicles in the not-so-distant future.
(With agency inputs)
Updated 15:04 IST, June 6th 2019