Amazon to start testing drone delivieries

[sirmaru]

Originally Posted by Verlander

I suspect the drone deliveries will be to Amazon centres rather than households.

Amazon already has "lock boxes" near most homes where I live. One can get instant delivery if one wants a product already stocked there. They are usually inside other stores like supermarkets. When I make a purchase from Amazon now and the merchandise is in the "lock box," I see a popup at the Amazon site asking me if I want to go there to retrieve the item. I have never checked that box since I prefer home delivery.

Thus, drones may only be used at first to send packages to those installations. Later on drone deliveries may be limited to private houses and may require purchase of a Drone Package Receiver from Amazon to be placed somewhere on the homeowner's property.

By the way, here in America one can already purchase private drones from Amazon here:

http://www.amazon.com/DJI-CP-PT-0000...eywords=drones

Those hobby drones are operated from cell phones or tablets using WiFi and have limited range. Commercial drones will probably require radio signal control.

So far as I know, the only FAA regulations so far are those applying to radio controlled hobby air planes from the 1960's. They require those planes to stay a certain distance away from airports and less than 400 feet altitude. Many US States also regulate them by limiting their use to remote locations away from population centers.

The problems with radio controlled hobby planes and drones is that they could fly further than the control unit's range and then get lost, crash or end in a remote tree. One model now sold by Amazon automatically returns to where it took off if control is lost. However, one reviewer at the Amazon site stated that function failed and his drone was lost never to be recovered.

Operators of those devices should check with their insurers to see if Homeowner's and/or supplemental liability insurance covers them or new riders must be purchased on their policies.

There already have been near misses of drones crashing into large passenger planes. Thus, FAA strict regulations are probably already being developed. The FAA may require commercial drones to be equipped with transponders so that Air Traffic Controllers can see them and communicate with the operators if required. That is the only way to prevent accidents in the sky. Those drone operators would probably have to be in continuous radio contact with the nearest Air Traffic Control Station.

Radio controlled planes have always been subject to the same FCC licensing and regulations as ham radio operators with concerns that frequencies used did not interfere with already allocated ones.

If commercial drone use is authorized by the FAA, the operators will probably have to undergo training and receive FAA licenses and possibly FCC licenses as well. Plus, all 50 US States will probably enact their own specific laws to govern their use. It may be legal in some States and illegal in others.

It all could well happen by this Christmas if Amazon puts pressure on the FAA and the various states. The first State will probably be Washington State where Amazon is located.

[Froide]

Originally Posted by Verlander

I suspect the drone deliveries will be to Amazon centres rather than households.

This.

[LovesMacs]

Duck! It's an Amazon drone!

[tubemonkey]

[Rizla]

Oh brave new world, that hath such delivery methods in it. This stuff will need to be more fully regulated.

On another note, I imagine they could use this very stable helicopter tech to make a 'jet'-pac (sans jet). The commuter crash videos on youtube could be spectacular.

[Shane R]

The cynic in me wonders if all this drone business is a way to keep Amazon in the news...you know...free advertising.

[fjtorres]

Amazon has added a DRONE STORE to their website:
http://www.amazon.com/b/?_encoding=U...4KVBTUFOBQS7TQ

So we might see drones delivering drones.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I wouldn't throw anything at one of those. I'm sure they have a contingency plan for that.

Now there is a wise Monkey.

[cromag]

That photo actually represents Amazon's attempt to improve it's drone delivery stats by eliminating a competitor's delivery drone. In fact, I believe the competitor drone in this case belonged to ... Target.

[Dopedangel]

I think googles drones are a lot better.

[doubleshuffle]

"Pleased with himself, Professor Boredson looked over the rows of snoring students: only five minutes into the lecture and already they were all fast asleep - Boredson really had perfected his drone delivery!"

[doubleshuffle]

Originally Posted by Dopedangel

I think googles drones are a lot better.

May I fix this for you?

[Dopedangel]

Thanks I did not notice it hadn't posted correctly

[fjtorres]

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/201...control-drone/

A New Jersey man was arrested after police say he shot down a neighbor’s remote control drone.
According to investigators, officers with the Lower Township Police Department were called to a home in the 1000 block of Seashore Road on September 26th to investigate the report by a resident that his remote control helicopter (drone) was shot down.

More at the source.
Criminal mischief being the charge for the attack on an innocent drone minding its own business.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Criminal mischief being the charge for the attack on an innocent drone minding its own business.

Innocent drone hovering over neighbor's yard