Amazon shows off more of its Prime Air project, an effort to dramatically change how packages are delivered. Prime Air is a futuristic delivery system that uses drones to get packages from nearby logistics hubs to customers in 30 minutes or less.
The drones fly under 400 feet and weigh less than 55 pounds, they're capable of delivering packages of up to five pounds and feature sophisticated "sense and avoid" technology, as well as a high degree of automation. Not a lot of details were shared but Amazon did mention it's testing many different vehicle designs and delivery mechanisms to discover how best to deliver parcels in a variety of environments.
Amazon thinks the first Prime Air deliveries may start within four to five years. The drones are all-electric and promise to be more cost-efficient, more environmentally friendly and faster than using human-operated trucks.
In the clip below, you can see Jeremy Clarkson showing off how it works. The prototype drone scans the area near the delivery coordinates for a landing spot, which is marked by a printed Amazon logo, and delivers the package on this spot. There may be regulatory and practical issues ahead but so far this is looking very exciting.
Amazon reveals latest prototype of its parcel delivery drone (video)
Posted on Monday, November 30 2015 @ 11:39 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck