Slashdot Mirror
Amazon Delivered Its First Customer Package By Drone (usatoday.com)
Amazon legally delivered its first Prime order in the United Kingdom last week and is preparing to enter a pilot testing period for drone delivery in rural areas in the country in the coming weeks. From a report on USA Today: The test took place within five miles of its Cambridgeshire drone testing facility outside the university town of Cambridge. The test was done with the approval of Britain's Civil Aviation Authority, which Amazon says plans to allow it to deliver to rural areas once it has amassed sufficient safety data. The test of Prime Air, Amazon's would-be service to deliver packages up to five pounds in 30 minutes or less, took place on Dec. 7, Amazon said. It was for an Amazon Fire TV and bag of popcorn and took 13 minutes from the moment the customer clicked "order" to package delivery. So far the trial includes only two customers who live near Amazon's testing facility. The company hopes to add dozens who lives within a few miles in the coming months. There will be no surcharge for 30-minute drone delivery for these customers, the company said. The Seattle-based company has made available a video of the delivery.
In the UK it might be a while because a lot fewer people own a gun and those that do are less inclined to break firearms laws. There is also a lot more acceptance of surveillance (something some people in the US will accuse Amazon of if they fly over their land, especially if camera equipped).
Here in the US, more guns, more people willing to fire guns... yeah... it won't take long before someone claims it is invading their sky rights and shooting it down over privacy rights (or some teens just doing it for a lark).
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
I would like to predict that eventually robbing a drone in mid-flight will occur. Have you ever seen seagulls trying to steal a piece of food from each other mid-flight?
I think if they hovered over people's property they would get shot more often.
UPS trucks are not much of a challenge but those Amazon drones are a whole other story. Those suckers are fast and manoeuvrable, which is why I have an auto targeting 100KW EMP gun on the roof of my truck. It's given a whole new meaning to the word 'wardriving'.
Amazon legally delivered its first Prime order in the United Kingdom last week Really??
There is a flat square with a type of qr code that each customer is given before hand. the drone lands on that square.
People steal from UPS trucks all the time if the driver is not attending the packages. (leaves the truck open and walks away).
Not just UPS... but anything really.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
The drone, by virtue of not having a driver is always 'unattended'.
I can can see drones getting downed by birds. (I recall we had swallows nesting in a tree near our front door one year... they'd dive bomb anyone who came by...) I wouldn't be surprised to see them downed by theives running their own drones and taking them out midair, and then packages stolen. Fun and profit.
And when they malfunction, how will they avoid crashing into things and damaging property or injuring people? Even a 5 pound device falling from 15 feet and crashing into a person or a car is pretty serious. Not to mention after a crash, the goods will probably be stolen... possibly the drone itself too.
I for one think this is very cool. It's energy efficient. It's fast. It relies on the successful execution of many science/tech disciplines.
What's with all the FUD?
A government is a body of people notably ungoverned - AC