Maybe the end game is something far more sinister and this is a good way to iron out the bugs.
this post was submitted on 04 Nov 2023
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I mean, the most obvious sinister application for this tech I can think of would be military dones that precisely drop small bombs on targets, but based on the ongoing war in Ukraine, that technology already has been developed, so Amazon of all companies developing it again would be pointless.
EDIT: come to think of it though, while the technology for that military application already exists, having a delivery drone industry might be a benefit to a country in wartime anyway, because the factories to build those drones could be repurposed to make military drones, and the drone fleet itself could be requisitioned, sort of like how navies have often throughout history pressed civilian ships into service in various roles, and with probably minimal modifications be used to gain a sizable fleet of bombing drones very quickly without having to have the military maintain that fleet idle in peacetime. Not sure this actually benefits the company much though, just the country that has a sizable network of these drones and/or factories to build them within it's control.
It raises the question why a drone can't deposit it lower than 12 feet. Is this drone theft control?
It can't be allowed to fly too close to people, and there's also concerns with interfere, collisions, animals, etc
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it's just advertising it's not really meant to be practical you're advertising for them good job
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Assuming you live in any moderately-developed area, yeah this is kind of a useless service. But I can see this being very useful for people who need things delivered to remote or otherwise hard-to-access places where a delivery vehicle can't easily get to. Until the cost of maintaining a drone fleet drops substantially, I don't see it being more feasible than the standard delivery van service for most people, not for a while at least.
So in this scenario an Amazon driver is driving near a remote, hard to access location that a truck can't get to, loading a package onto a drone, and then waiting for it to fly to your hermit shack and back? If your area isn't moderately developed you're probably not going to have an Amazon drone hub within range.
Not now, but in theory the tech will continue to evolve. Drones will continue getting better ranges as battery tech improves.
It likely won't be something that reaches widespread adoption any time soon. But in time, I could see this being a very useful service.
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Non-fixed wing drones don't have much range.
can't fly when too hot
What the fuck?! My cheap ass, $10 AirHog drone that is entirely plastic and foam can fly in 115F temps (as hot as it's ever been here). What the shit kind of crappy components do Amazon's delivery drones use?!
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I get that this is probably more a learning experience than anything…butttt
The way the world is going and the conditions this thing needs to operate? Idk man
This service was announced more than a decade ago. If they're still having learning experiences, I think they may be trying too hard to get this to work.
See also: Royal Mail in the UK experimenting with drones. Not doing the last miles delivery to customers, but reinforcing the network with a human still actually shoving the damp bits of paper through the door.
The program itself isn't absurd, but Amazon is a bunch of fucking clowns. I only expect them to fail in the world of logistics. But they're so big & everybody keeps giving them their money, they can do whatever they want, poorly, forever. They fail 'up'.
Drone delivery is indeed part of the future of logistics. They just need to make the drones more robust to handle slightly bigger, heavier loads, like at least 10# would be great & a reasonable goal. Arm it with AI so it knows where to drop the payload. Etc etc. There are indeed a number of kinks to be worked out....and who better to crash & burn, learn on than Amazon? 🤡
I live on the 10th story of an apartment building. Where does the drone deliver my 10 pound load to?
I live in a duplex with a front yard that's about two square feet between the front stoop and the sidewalk. Where does the drone deliver my 10 pound load to?
I live in a house surrounded by a lot of trees. Where does the drone deliver my 10 pound load to?
I have an enclosed front porch, inside of which deliveries can safely be left without worrying about them being stolen. Where does the drone deliver my 10 pound load to?
Drone delivery to someone's home might be useful for a small number of people in specific circumstances. Most circumstances would be far more efficient if done by a human.
What does this actually solve?
In Germany we have a trial run of food delivery. A drone will bring a package with up to 4.5 kg to a "remote" village, then some students on e-bikes will bring it to the houses. Why they are using drones instead of one lorry a day is unknown.
Having students bike the final mile sounds a lot like Theranos saying they could do all these amazing blood tests on their new, futuristic machine, only to find out that they're still doing most of them the way all labs did them
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