Drunkard's Walk Forums

Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the ... th-drones/]Amazon envisions eventually delivering packages in 30 minutes via drones

(Apparently this was on 60 Minutes yesterday, but who watches broadcast TV any more?)

While "octocopter" is a silly name, at least somebody's working on flying delivery trucks. I wonder whether Amazon can lick the design issues - especially the endurance issue, which to me looks like a deal-breaker.
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Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

If they're anything like the USAF's drones they'll end up delivering it to your neighbour's house instead.
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--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?

I know they are dealing with the same issues (quadcopter based delivery of small parcels) in sub saharan africa for delivery of medicines to rural hospitals.
The speaker mentioned that you can have solar powered battery stations where the copters can swap batteries.

as to why amazon would be doing this? it's cheaper than driving.

and I found the ted talk:
http://www.ted.com/talks/andreas_raptop ... _that.html
-Terry
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"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

I can't help but think of those old (as in, decades old) ideas of what the future would be like.  I wouldn't be surprised if direct delivery by air had been proposed in at least a few such ideas.  In any case, it looks like the future (or at least that aspect of the future) could be here soon enough.

Tennie Wrote:I can't help but think of those old (as in, decades old) ideas of what the future would be like. I wouldn't be surprised if direct delivery by air had been proposed in at least a few such ideas. In any case, it looks like the future (or at least that aspect of the future) could be here soon enough.

I do seem to recall seeing one of those 50's predictions of the future where a smiling (male, uniformed) helicopter pilot delivered a package to a (well-dressed) housewife.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012