Amazon is currently experimenting with drones which would provide a half-hour, same-day delivery. This was through a formal introduction of the service, dubbed PrimeAir. It is expected to be released in a few years.
Jeff Bezos, showcased an early version of Amazon PrimeAir during Sunday. “It seems a little like science fiction, but the fact is that it is not”, Bezos said.
Ordering the online isn’t a very difficult task as well. The item is placed in a container which is locked into an awaiting drone. It buzzes away and drops the product at the doorstep of the customer.
Bezos confirmed that PrimeAir containers can carry objects which are up to 5 pounds in weight. It covers up to 86% of the objects which Amazon delivers. “We are not planning to deliver kayaks or tables saws”, he joked.
The device uses electric motors which would be extremely environment friendly. PrimeAir would have around a 10-mile radius. Hence, in urban areas, its coverage range could be “very significant”. There is no word on how the deliveries to an apartment or office building might be done. Bezos said that they would follow GPS coordinates and be autonomous.
The “hard part” was the reliability aspect of the drone. “It will definitely not land on somebody’s head”, he quipped.
Currently, the Federal Aviation Administration bans the use of drones or any unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)- for commercial purposes. Last year, President Obama signed the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, which loosens the restrictions of introducing commercial drones into the National Airspace System.
Being an optimist, Bezos hopes that PrimeAir would take off in another four to five years. It isn’t something which would take place anytime soon.