Delivery Drones

Unmanned, aerial vehicles, otherwise known as UAVs or drones, have a myriad of uses.  From recreation to war, the uses of this technology is endless.  One particular use of these drones that has caught my attention is the possibility of their use as a package delivery system.  Of the programs researching this possibility, Amazon's Amazon Prime Air is probably the most well known.

Amazon Prime Air is a service Amazon is aiming to bring forth that could revolutionize the way we shop.  It offers delivery times of thirty or fewer minutes.  This means that for many people, it could soon be faster to order a product online and have it delivered to their doorstep than they could accomplish driving to a store, purchasing the same product, and driving home.  This combined with the added convenience and multitude of other benefits could be huge for consumers.

As far as safety is concerned, two main focuses are being employed by Amazon: keeping drones out of manned airspace, and their own "sense and avoid" technology.  The drones will be flying at fewer than four hundred feet in the air so as to not interfere with any manned aircraft.  Additionally, they have developed a "sense and avoid" technology with which to detect obstructions or other airborne vessels and actively avoid them.  They have also stated "We will not launch Prime Air until we are able to demonstrate safe operations."

One of the largest obstacles to this endeavor is not a technological one.  It is the lack of regulation and law regarding this, as it is such a new field.  Problems include the entire legality of the situation such as air rights (people's rights to the airspace above private property).  Other problems include loss prevention from new problems such as people "hunting" these drones due to privacy concerns or in order to steal the contents of the package.

Delivery drones still have a long way to go before they become common-place, but they are an exciting, up-and-coming technology with the potential to have a big impact on consumer culture.

http://www.amazon.com/b?node=8037720011