We usually associate drones with warfare, but these unmanned craft have so many other potential uses. In fact, online retailer Amazon, has announced that it will be experimenting with un-manned drones to deliver its parcels!
The news came during ‘Cyber Monday’. CEO Jeff Bezos anticipated that these robot drones are capable of delivering packages weighing up to five pounds (or 2.27 Kilos) in less than 30 minutes. He explained that the drones would collect the packages by air lifting them off conveyor belts and deliver goods to within a maximum radius of 10 miles.
This Amazon ‘Prime Air’ is still in its experimental stage and Bezos expects that it will take a matter of years to perfect this delivery method. He estimates that ‘Prime Air’ will be fully functional by 2015 at the earliest.
There are safety issues of course. Amazon doesn’t want innocent people being bombed by parcels, so these are some of the areas that need perfecting and ironing out.
Other retailers are also exploring the possibility of using drones as a delivery method. Dominos has been experimenting with the ‘DomiCopter’, a pizza deliver drone.
Company Matternet using drones for humanitarian purposes
Paola Santana from the Dominican republic founded the startup company Matternet in 2011, along with four other highly qualified entrepreneurs. Their vision was to deliver vital supplies and medicines to impoverished rural communities.
So, we could see a lot more drones over our towns and cities in the near future, only they’ll be delivering your pizzas, books or clothes. It should futuristic, but it’s inevitable.
