By Audrey Dern
In the 21st century, delivering packages is becoming faster and more innovative. Due to the invention of drone delivery, shipping packages now takes less than an hour. One case of drone delivery is Amazon Prime Air, owned by Jeff Bezos, who has improved drone shipping technology since 2013 and expanded it to many urban cities in the United States. Currently, Prime Air operates in 11 active U.S. delivery sites, including Houston, Phoenix, and Kansas City, and is expanding to four more major cities soon.
How does drone delivery work?
Amazon’s drone delivery works by autonomously flying a robot to transport a small package to the customer’s house within 30-60 minutes of ordering. It uses onboard cameras and radars to scan the surrounding area for people, animals, nearby obstacles like buildings or vehicles, and the terrain to avoid trees or vegetation. To be eligible for drone delivery, you must have an item that does not exceed five pounds and is in stock. Also, to have drone delivery available, it must be during daylight hours and have favorable weather conditions, as it’s a fully autonomous delivery.
Can we trust this autonomous system yet?
You cannot fully trust Amazon’s Prime Air yet, as the service is still facing challenges like reliability and package safety. The drop accuracy isn’t a guaranteed success, as the drone hovers about 10 feet above the ground to release the package, which has led to packages landing in swimming pools or breaking on impact. Amazon has attempted to put the packages onto a cable attached to the drone, but many customers pull on the cable trying to take the drone down. Furthermore, technical glitches occasionally happen, like when the drone clips a utility line or test drones crash. Lastly, some consumers have reported that the high-pitched buzzing sounds of the drones can be disruptive, especially in a high-frequency zone of drones.
Have other companies tried drone delivery?
Yes, other companies have tried drone delivery and have still used drones to ship packages. Some other major industry players include: Wing (owned by Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company) which partners with Walmart and DoorDash; Zipline, a leading autonomous aircraft device for retail delivery using a long-range shipment system; UPS Flight Forward, focusing on retail and healthcare; Matternet, which focuses on essential healthcare supplies; and many other notable companies like Manna Drone Delivery or Wingcopter.
Overall, the use of drone delivery with a fully electric autonomous system helps towards the commitment Amazon made to reach net-zero carbon by 2040. Drone delivery will also make essential items more accessible to get immediately. So, the next time you place an online order, you may want to look up, as it might be dropping from the clouds.
Sources:
https://www.amazon.com/Prime-Air-Drone-Delivery/b?ie=UTF8&node=206533607011
https://www.expertmarketresearch.com/blogs/top-drone-package-delivery-companies
https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/transportation/prime-air-amazon-drone-delivery-faa-safety
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/richardson-sick-drone-highway-above-homes/4036131
Amazon drone delivery drops woman’s package into …YouTube · ABC7 News Bay Area