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Amazon Prime Air Delivery Drones Revealed By CEO Jeff Bezos

Snaploud

Snaploud

Admiral
Admiral
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Operation "This Will Likely End Badly" is a go, apparently.

Never mind the obvious things, like bad weather and noise. What happens if one of these things gets 1) shot at, 2) stolen, or 3) crashes into somebody's house? The liability issues alone would be off the charts.

At least human drivers have some discretion over where they leave packages. If they consider a house or neighborhood unsafe or insecure, they won't leave the package. A drone can't do that, obviously.
 
Mr. Laser Beam said:
Operation "This Will Likely End Badly" is a go, apparently.

Never mind the obvious things, like bad weather and noise. What happens if one of these things gets 1) shot at, 2) stolen, or 3) crashes into somebody's house? The liability issues alone would be off the charts.

At least human drivers have some discretion over where they leave packages. If they consider a house or neighborhood unsafe or insecure, they won't leave the package. A drone can't do that, obviously.
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everything you said I thought....
 
Tribble puncher said:
Mr. Laser Beam said:
Operation "This Will Likely End Badly" is a go, apparently.

Never mind the obvious things, like bad weather and noise. What happens if one of these things gets 1) shot at, 2) stolen, or 3) crashes into somebody's house? The liability issues alone would be off the charts.

At least human drivers have some discretion over where they leave packages. If they consider a house or neighborhood unsafe or insecure, they won't leave the package. A drone can't do that, obviously.
Click to expand...

everything you said I thought....
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These drone deliveries would very likely be statistically more safe than drivers delivering the same packages. That of course would not stop the bad press that would follow any such accident.

For theft, I suppose the camera in the drone along with gps would deter many people, but this would be a real issue. I imagine some people could get quite skilled at poaching these packages, the same way they currently do with traditional deliveries. It would be an on going issue.

However, Amazon could take the risk. Part of the service will likely involve a small insurance fee built into the cost of 30 minute air delivery. Since Amazon will know via gps if the package made it or not they would know if you needed to be reimbursed for a failure. They may even have gps tracking software planned where you could watch a little line on your monitor as it shows the real time position of your package en route your house.

The instincts of the driver aren't a big concern. If you are ordering 30 minute service you are more likely to get your package right as it is set down at your door. If it sits there for half the day or even a couple hours as is common with normal deliveries, that would be more risky even in a "nice" neighborhood.

Edit to add: Given how big a factor the wind alone would be, never mind other weather types, the availability of this service would be significantly limited until such a time that the tech is vastly improved.
 
PurpleBuddha said:
If you are ordering 30 minute service you are more likely to get your package right as it is set down at your door.
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My thoughts, exactly, concerning "theft." In the same vein, how many pizzas sit around on a doorstep, even in a good neighborhood, for several hours?

How many people will be injured by trying to approach the drone as it descends?

I live in a very small town, and our cable access station is equally very small. While considering new equipment, one of the board members suggested a quad-copter with camera to get some exotic shots of the Memorial Day parade, kids' field games, etc. Fly over crowds? The idea was quickly shot down on insurance arguments.

One more thought: What's the weight limit on that service?

Edit: 60 MINUTES exclusive, hmmm. Prided as a serious news show, the program is also a "magazine" format. This "news" is nothing less than free advertising for Amazon.
 
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Metryq said:
One more thought: What's the weight limit on that service?
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You know, all you had to do was read the HuffPo article to learn that. They're looking at delivering packages of up to 5 pounds, which apparently represents most of their orders.

It's too early in all this to start poopooing as-yet-unseen technology. Amazon's not stupid. I'm sure they are taking all the noted concerns into account, as well as concerns no one here has voiced. Amazon hires a lot of smart people, you know. ;)

It may be successful, it may not. It really depends on how well they can mitigate any risks, and whether they can get government approval to fly little drones all over the place.
 
35% of Americans live in apartment buildings of which 44% represent more than 5 units. Apartment dwelling soars among people under 30 to over 40% as well. I'm not sure what Amazon's demos are - who's buying - and in what cities - but this plan seems costly and far fetched considering it's impratical for so many of their customers;

Stats on apartment rentals and general housing demos
 
I live in an apartment building, and I assure you it's not hard to get packages delivered. I'm not sure what point you are trying to make.
 
Robert Maxwell said:
I live in an apartment building, and I assure you it's not hard to get packages delivered. I'm not sure what point you are trying to make.
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Doesn't Fed Ex or other delivery companies place the package inside a common hallway? A drone wouldn't perform such a task.
 
We are talking about communication-enabled drones here. What, a drone can't just text you, "I'm outside, please come get your package" and hover for a few minutes?

Use your imaginations, people. ;)
 
Robert Maxwell said:
We are talking about communication-enabled drones here. What, a drone can't just text you, "I'm outside, please come get your package" and hover for a few minutes?

Use your imaginations, people. ;)
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I got it. I'm just not seeing how this could work in a urban enivornment like Los Angeles or New York. These drones have the potential of being distracting to drivers and even pedestrians when you get into densely populated areas.

I'll give Bezos credit for thinking ahead and potentially re-creating Amazon's business model from 24 hour delivery to virtually instant delivery.

I dunno man - most shit that I need in 30 minutes or less I'd get in the car instead and buy.
 
DarthTom said:
Robert Maxwell said:
We are talking about communication-enabled drones here. What, a drone can't just text you, "I'm outside, please come get your package" and hover for a few minutes?

Use your imaginations, people. ;)
Click to expand...

I got it. I'm just not seeing how this could work in a urban enivornment like Los Angeles or New York. These drones have the potential of being distracting to drivers and even pedestrians when you get into densely populated areas.

I'll give Bezos credit for thinking ahead and potentially re-creating Amazon's business model from 24 hour delivery to virtually instant delivery.

I dunno man - most shit that I need in 30 minutes or less I'd get in the car instead and buy.
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And if this takes off in a way that works (that is a big if), people will fall in love with this convenience. It will become another part of society, and we will all get to reminisce about how the neighborhood sky used to be drone free, with drones mainly being used only to kill people or spy....the way it should be. :)
 
This service could pose a dilemma for some of the government-fearing Prepper-types.... having a drone deliver the ammo that they've purchased on line!
 
^^^ The real question isn't when or if these drones will deliver your packages but how Bezos got 60 minutes to broadcast for free a 15 minute info-mercial for Amazon the night before Cyber Monday?
 
Tribble puncher said:
Mr. Laser Beam said:
Operation "This Will Likely End Badly" is a go, apparently.

Never mind the obvious things, like bad weather and noise. What happens if one of these things gets 1) shot at, 2) stolen, or 3) crashes into somebody's house? The liability issues alone would be off the charts.

At least human drivers have some discretion over where they leave packages. If they consider a house or neighborhood unsafe or insecure, they won't leave the package. A drone can't do that, obviously.
Click to expand...

everything you said I thought....
Click to expand...


Expanding on that. How about dogs and someone stealing the drone.


My first thought was bad weather too. Rough winds will send your package and the drone crashing into the trees.
 
drones can fly in bad weather just like planes do. and as for dogs and other issues like that not everyone will be able to get their package like that. and like it was said in an earlier post if you order something that you are expecting in 30 minutes you are most likely going to be looking for what ever is delivering it. think pizza or was that so 70's? i am just gettin old i guess.
 
Also, what happens when some kid grabs hold of a drone, and it takes off with the kid holding on to it?

astarguy said:
drones can fly in bad weather just like planes do.
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But planes are much larger than the drones we're talking about, and thus would seem to be less prone to being tossed about by weather.
 
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