The Amazon Prime Air delivery drone is a hybrid aircraft that’s capable of vertical takeoff and landing as well as sustained forward flight and it might be delivering you your Amazon package within a few months! The company announced the news about launching a new delivery service using drones and unveiled the latest version of one just the other day at Amazon’s Re:MARS conference in Las Vegas.
CEO Jeff Wilke had the pleasure of introducing the drone onstage with emphasis on the aircraft’s safety features. “We know customers will only feel comfortable receiving drone deliveries if the system is incredibly safe,” said Wilke. Amazon says the drone’s safety features make it as “robust and stable as commercial aircraft.”
How is it so safe? The nifty new drone uses a combination of thermal cameras, depth cameras, and sonar to detect hazards. Its onboard computers can automatically identify obstacles and navigate around them with the help of machine learning models. “From paragliders, power lines, to the corgi in your backyard, this drone has safety covered,” said Wilke. And there’s no need to worry about the drone’s rotors (propellers) as the they are fully covered for safety. The same piece that serves as wings during sustained flight serves as a shield to the rotors.
How does it fly? Normally a quadcopter has four degrees of freedom, the Prime Air delivery drone has six, which Amazon says allows for more dynamic and nimble flight. The drone uses the same six propellers to fly forward as it does for take off and landing through a tilting design mode of flight. Packages for delivery are then carried in the fuselage in the middle. The drones can fly up to 15 miles and deliver packages under five pounds to customers in less than 30 minutes! You may think 5 pounds doesn’t sound like much but Amazon says 75 to 90 percent of purchased items are under that weight limit.
But is it really going to happen? The reality is that the implementation of these systems is much harder than simply building the aircraft. Amazon is still awaiting FAA approval for the design. However, Wilke told Bloomberg, the entire drone is built either from FAA-approved parts or designed with approval in mind. “We’re not telling the FAA, hey, here is something new that you’ve never seen before,” he said. “We’re saying, this is an airplane that’s built to exacting aerospace standards.” So, who knows, maybe they won’t be waiting long for approval and you’ll soon be able to receive a package the same day you ordered it via air drone delivery!
