Posted on 12/02/2013 11:57:32 AM PST by Renfield
Looking to take advantage of online sales, millions of people will be ordering online goods on this “Cyber Moday.” While those goods will likely arrive in a week or so, delivered by USPS, UPS or FedEx ground crew, delivery methods may soon enter into new air space, compliments of the ubiquitous drone.
Last night, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos dropped a bombshell on the Sunday night TV news show “60 Minutes” when he said that his company was developing so-called “copter” drones to deliver online goods, with a tentative launch date potentially arriving in the next four to five years.
Though further safety testing and FAA approval is needed, the “octocopter” drones — dubbed Amazon “Prime Air” — are slated to deliver packages of around five pounds. Bezos told “60 Minutes” correspondent Charlie Rose this weight comprises almost 86 percent of Amazon’s deliveries and that using the electronic drones could cut down on carbon emissions.
As Amazon continues to build their distribution centers across the the United States, Bezos also hinted that the drones could potentially make same-day delivery a reality. He even upped the ante, envisioning packages arriving 30 minutes after buyers click the “buy” button....
(Excerpt) Read more at news.discovery.com ...
On the other hand, I think this would be great for online wine retailers. Imagine ordering up a magnum of Bollinger or Veuve Clicquot on ice, and having it delivered by drone to your campsite somewhere in the middle of the Daniel Boone National Forest, navigating by GPS coordinates.
Big tax breaks from Obama, no doubt.
Seems to me this will NOT be possible. The craft would be succeptable to high or even moderate wind, blown off course, blown into buildings, people, etc... The craft could interfere with helicopter flight plans.. I can see these things hitting power lines.
I just don’t see it... could be wrong, I guess.
He's just having some fun. This drone concept will take many years before becoming feasible.
They will be government drones operating under the pretense that they’re only delivering packages.
Pirates in the hood!
The drones will likely be more valuable than the products they’re delivering. I suspect quite a few won’t return to the Amazon Dronatorium.
...only to find out it crashed into a cell phone tower or wind turbin.....
People will be shooting them down for sport and to see what goodies are in the box.
Can I order unexploded WWII ordinance via this new shipping method?
This seems unlikely to work out to me. What about people who lived in thickly wooded areas?
What about deliveries into a wind turbine area? Ha ha...
So the drone drops the packages off on some pad near the company. Who takes it in and delivers it to the actual recipient?
I completely agree. Can you imagine the liability insurance costs to operate such a system on the scale being discussed?
Will they make that funny noise like George Jetson’s hovercraft?
They would not be making many deliveries in downtown areas when the wind was blowing. The wind between tall buildings can knock you down. I am going out on a limb here and say this is a stupid idea.
Finally a good reason to construct a wind turbine on my roof!
Stupid or not, it got them a ton of free advertising on “Cyber Monday”
This has been shown on every tv news program I’ve surfed today.
Driverless cars. Home delivery by pilotless planes. Nice for the cover of Popular Science, but not realistic.
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