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.
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?
... 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
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.
That sounds like a description of the Pentagon.
Their new slogan,
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.
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.
...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??