Unless and until the rules change, though, even the unlikely event of Amazon being able to solve all the other challenges facing drone deliveries won’t be enough to launch squadrons of delivery drones into American skies. (I don’t want someone else’s package buzzing over my house, how about you?)Īmazon-along with many other companies-is lobbying heavily to have some of those flight rules relaxed, but it’s not clear how big a priority that is for the FAA and other regulatory agencies. tests have been delayed is because the Federal Aviation Administration has yet to approve commercial drone flights within sight of real airplanes or to fly over airspace controlled by people who aren’t buying anything. Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned perhaps the biggest issue: regulations. Rules and regulations continue to ground drone deliveries That seems certain to limit the potential cost savings. Realistically, then, drones are never going to be able to replace conventional delivery methods, merely supplement them at best. Heck, even trees could get in the way, which may be why the image below shows a test delivery to an open field (not necessarily where most folks will want their package dropped off).
tests have been confined to rural locations.īut since the drones have limited range, even customers in the countryside could be too far from the closest distribution center to enable drone deliveries.
#Amazon drone delivery testing plus
Plus there are possible issues with tall buldings and utility wires-even though drones are equipped with sense-and-avoid technologies. Obviously, urban dwellers may not have ready access to an appropriate spot. And if customers order multiple items, they could quickly add up to surpass the weight limit or require multiple trips.įor another, the service requires a special landing pad, preferably in a secure location. 1 In 2020 the company, along with Zipline, Wingcopter and 7 others was selected by FAA to participate in a type certification.
The service uses delivery drones to autonomously fly individual packages to customers, and launched in 2022. That could cover a wide variety of items, but hardly all of the things Amazon sells. Amazon has announced that it will finally start an Amazon drone delivery project in the U.S., beginning in the small town of Lockeford, CA. Amazon Prime Air, or simply Prime Air, is a drone delivery service operated by Amazon. Significant obstacles to drone delivery remainįirst off, most of the objections I raised back in 2015 still apply, including questions about interference, hacking, liability, weather ( Amazon notes that in the U.K., it is “currently permitted to operate during daylight hours when there are low winds and good visibility, but not in rain, snow or icy conditions”) and costs-especially when mixing drones with conventional delivery methods.įor one thing, the Amazon service is focused on delivering items that weigh less than 5 pounds. But despite all that, there are still plenty of reasons to doubt that an autonomous quadcopter will soon be hovering over your house to drop off your latest Amazon order. It made a single drone delivery in 2016 but has reportedly hit major setbacks since, such as high turnover and crashes. The technology has advanced significantly since then, and we know a lot more about Amazon’s plans to make drone deliveries practical. Prime Air has been slow-going since it started testing in 2013.
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