Slashdot Mirror
Amazon Is Working On Hot Air Balloon Drone That Approaches Homes Silently (slashgear.com)
Amazon has been granted a patent that describes an "unmanned aerial vehicle with inflatable membrane" that would allow it to approach homes silently. The UAV "would have a balloon hidden inside the chasis," reports Slashgear. "That could be inflated using compressed gas, via a tank or chamber also carried on the drone. When the UAV roamed into an area where noise levels needed to be cut -- such as the delivery location, Amazon suggests -- the balloon could be inflated." From the report: In the process it would mean that the traditional drone propellers would have less work to do, since the UAV's buoyancy would be taken care of by the balloon. All the motors would be required for is general positioning. Amazon doesn't envisage flying the drone like a miniature zeppelin, however. Instead, the balloon system would be used to raise and lower the UAV to and from the delivery location. In that way it could help reduce the noise -- and energy -- involved in achieving a cruising altitude, whereupon the balloon would be deflated and gathered back into its dock.
The drone would proceed to the delivery destination, and then the balloon would be reinflated. That could be used to then gently lower the aircraft to the ground, to leave behind its package. Of course, having an inflating balloon near a system of fast-spinning propellers seems like a recipe for disaster, and so part of Amazon's patent outlines the retracting mechanism by which the two elements would be kept apart. The whole thing would be handled by an onboard autopilot, with the balloon reeled back into the storage area. The drone could either return the gas used for inflation to the compression chamber, or allow it to escape. Indeed, another possibility that Amazon suggests is a completely detachable balloon. That, the patent describes, might then float away, or biodegrade, rather than being reused.
The drone would proceed to the delivery destination, and then the balloon would be reinflated. That could be used to then gently lower the aircraft to the ground, to leave behind its package. Of course, having an inflating balloon near a system of fast-spinning propellers seems like a recipe for disaster, and so part of Amazon's patent outlines the retracting mechanism by which the two elements would be kept apart. The whole thing would be handled by an onboard autopilot, with the balloon reeled back into the storage area. The drone could either return the gas used for inflation to the compression chamber, or allow it to escape. Indeed, another possibility that Amazon suggests is a completely detachable balloon. That, the patent describes, might then float away, or biodegrade, rather than being reused.
Bezos, come on, don't be a creeper.
An interesting bit of trivia but why is this news? Companies like Amazon files thousands of patents annually. Most of them never make it into production. It doesn't mean they are "working" on it at all. In fact the idea seems largely impractical on many levels and is probably more defensive than real.
Unless they keep a small tank of water and take the explosive risk of generating hydrogen gas for the landing/lifting portion. which is far less likely and would be slower but also increase lifting rate/capacity.
IANAAE. Just an interested amateur who spent a few years looking into building my own airship to live away from society :) Hint: Finding long term bladder materials that can hold in hydrogen without embrittlement is hard. And helium loss is a real and expensive problem for any large scale deployment, although they waste plenty vented from the cooling loops of MRIs (its primary usage in the real world.)
This silent drone is a dual-use technology. On one hand, it can be used to deliver packages to customers.
On the other hand, the silent drone can be retrofitted with a remotely controlled machine gun. The drone can quietly approach the headquarters of a violent gang, and the police can aim and fire the gun at the gang members.
Such a drone can be used to hunt and kill African, Hispanic, and Middle-Eastern gangs.
Get more info about this issue.
A few days late?
Ya, you'll find knockoffs in a a week,,,
[($)]
In Soviet Putinville, press releases monkey your asshole!
The machine gun is only for non Amazon Prime members.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
hunt and kill African, Hispanic, and Middle-Eastern gangs.
Just "gangs" would've been shorter.
All these drone systems only have cameras as sensors correct? Are they really good enough to avoid all the wires around people's homes? I believe most places don't have buried wiring.
They're getting all ready for their Ninja Express Deliveries. They can do in-home deliveries without ever being seen by the cameras. Great for those special deliveries that you don't want the neighbors to know anything about.
If the universe is someone's simulation -- does that mean the stars are just stuck pixels?
(n/t)
Nazi faggot gangs are the most fun of all though. They just want the entire world to crush their dumb inbred faggot shit ALL AT ONCE. That must be what "reich" means, getting their asses kicked again and again. Life's bitches.
All this stuff to deliver my $5 USB cable ???
But enough about you and your untreated schizophrenia
These people have too much money to play with ideas which are not really scalable and have a ton of issues which are not fixable. For example, wind. Airships and blimps had massive issues in the past. To use hot air does not remove these issues instead it is increasing them, as you need an even bigger balloon to lift the same mass and you need to constantly heat the shit up. It makes more sense to extend the capacity of mass transit in cities to be able to use it for the transport of goods. In a multi-modal transport setup, this is much more efficient. Yes, this means less cars in cities.
... a compressed gas chamber configured to contain a gas that is lighter than air; an inflatable membrane configured to be inflated with gas from the compressed gas chamber; ...
this is obviously not a hot air baloon
Amazon Is Working On Hot Air Balloon Drone That Approaches Homes Silently
A drone silently sneaking up on your house is creepy enough but somehow a silent drone developed by Amazon is extra creepy. It will hover outside of your basement window observing you and from then on you will be constantly bombarded with offers of subscriptions to Star Wars/Star Trek/World of Warcraft porn sites, gallon jars of Vaseline and industrial sized value packs of tissues wherever you go ... every Slashdot readers nightmare.
put some nice sneakers on a person and them walk to the house?
Their new slogan,
Sure Jeff will have a patent somewhere that deals with them drones turning into a fireworks show occasionally...
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/98326
A cubic meter of air at standard atmospheric conditions (0C, 1ATM) has a mass of 1.3Kg. If you had a perfect vacuum and somehow the walls were negligible yet able to stand that pressure, a balloon 1 meter in each side would only be able to carry a handful of tubes of toothpaste which are about 0.2Kg each, yet the craft would be the size of a doorway.
What has Trump got to do with this?
Forget the pie-in-the-sky delivery drones. Amazon needs to hire better drivers and more of them. Their drivers don't seem to be in any kind of hurry. I'd be happy if they'd hire drivers who could read! Right now I would rank them just a tad below FedEx drivers, but nowhere near as good as UPS drivers.
All delivery drones (of any kind) will do is make it easier for porch pirates to know which houses are getting the deliveries. Arrrr, matey, follow that drone!
it's just one of many patents, until i actually see this drone in action, i consider this patent to be nothing more then a bag of hot air.
On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
Better dead, than red!! Vote blue!!
Hindenburg did that years ago
Tom Swift did it all around 1912. http://tomswiftaeroship.blogsp...
Fiat Lux.
...is one kid with a BB gun or a slingshot, and BAM your delivery is pwn3d. Thank God for Amazon lockers and UPS store deliveries.
.
== WolfriderV6 == I'm willing to admit that *I just might* be wrong... Are you??
Can someone get a patent on something invented over a hundred years ago? This is ridiculous.
Runs off to file patent for wheels.
Hopefully they won't be using helium and then releasing that into the atmosphere since it is becoming rare.
This is likely to be a helium balloon, not a hot air balloon.
Have gnu, will travel.
That's a problem. Also not sure if they'd generate enough lift to pay for the reinflation / deflation mechanism and gas storage.
It sounds so ... sinister when you put it that way ....
The machine gun is only for non Amazon Prime members.
Amazon Prime members will have access to control the drones that have Primed weapons.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
Don't know about the rest of the US, but in northern VA, we're getting lots of private Amazon drivers showing up at our house. Our driveway is 300 yards long , so it's weird when a random middle aged man shows up. The only identifier is a generic safety vest. Initially creepy.
IF there were clear identifiers on the drones, I'd kinda prefer that.
"In fact the idea seems largely impractical on many levels..."
Mod parent up.
Would you allow aircraft in your neighborhood? Drones can be DANGEROUS!
Depends upon how large the item is that this balloon carries. However, if something goes wrong it could be a real stinker.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/m...
News flash: China hacks Amazon air squadrons in unprovoked attack on major American cities, millions killed.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Would be proud.
In GOD we trust, all others we monitor.
Surveillance, extermination and package delivery by hot air balloon, coming for you today! What can possibly go wrong?