The future of package delivery is here. Well, it will be later this year anyway, as that’s when Amazon is planning to launch their latest delivery service called Prime Air, in which packages will be delivered via drone .
While Prime Air has been in the works for nearly a decade now, the company feels confident enough to start full trials and see just how big this new system can become.
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Amazon has laid out quite an interesting plan for this year.
In an announcement this past Monday, the online superstore said it would begin making some package deliveries by drone later in 2022.
This program is called Prime Air, and will begin in Lockeford, California.
The drones will leave packages in customers’ backyards.
Items available for delivery via Prime Air will be marked on the website, so shoppers can ensure they have a drone delivery if they so choose.
The company says they built over two dozen prototypes since the beginning of this endeavor, having first announced the idea way back in 2013.
The drones are packed with sophisticated tech.
They have a “sense-and-avoid system” that allows them to detect objects, and, you guessed it, avoid them. The drones will use this system to avoid collisions and ensure the recipient’s backyard has a clear spot for their package to be dropped off in.
Prime Air has been clear to operate since 2020.
That’s when the Federal Aviation Administration gave them the go-ahead, but the company itself wasn’t quite ready. They still had to work out a few issues that caused drones to crash, including one particular crash that resulted in a fire.
However, it appears that those issues have been resolved.
Amazon seems as confident as ever to begin their air deliveries with their new and improved drone design. The latest version of the drones are hexagonal in shape, and have propellers “specifically designed to minimize high-frequency soundwaves” as described in the press release.
“It took years of inventing, testing, and improving to develop these breakthrough technologies, and we’re excited to use them to make customer deliveries.”
h/t: Insider
