Amazon Drone Delivery Testing Has Begun

Source: LinkedIn/David Carbon

In a post on Christmas Eve, VP of Prime Air Amazon, David Carbon, announced “careful first steps” for “first deliveries from our new sites in TX and CA.”

His post was accompanied by a photo of an Amazon delivery box hanging from a drone flying through air with the greatest of ease.

This endeavor – nearly 10 years in the making – allows customers to purchase “Prime Air”-eligible products from the site. Their purchases would then be delivered via drone to their shipping destination. The aforementioned self-flying drones will be able to detect and avoid objects that may obstruct their path, and travel at speeds upwards of 50mph. 

The actual delivery of the package happens in the customers’ backyard. The drone, capable of carrying a package as much as 5 pounds, will hover at a safe distance above the ground before releasing the package.

“These are careful first steps that we will turn into giant leaps for our customers over the next number of years,” Carbon said. “Customers are our obsession, safety is our imperative, the future of delivery is our mandate, technology is unlocking that future, and our people are the foundation that it all sits on.”

Story via PC Magazine