My Thoughts on Technology and Jamaica: Amazon’s Prime Air Patent – How Swarm Intelligence pilots @Amazon Autonomous Drones via White Spaces Network with Call Center Agent Personal Touch

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Amazon’s Prime Air Patent – How Swarm Intelligence pilots @Amazon Autonomous Drones via White Spaces Network with Call Center Agent Personal Touch

Amazon is clearly not giving up on their plans to launch their Drone Deliver Service PrimeAir, despite the restrictive rules laid down by the FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) as noted in my blog article entitled “ FAA's Regulations for Drones - How UAS Benefit American Economy despite Restrictive FAA Regulations by 2016”.

A recent Patent Application filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office by Amazon reveals their vision for Amazon PrimeAir, which involves Drones delivering packages to you within thirty (30) minutes as noted in the article “Amazon Drone patent application imagines delivery that comes to you with one click”, published May 12, 2015 by Rene Marsh, CNN

I already understood what Amazon PrimeAir envisioned in a previous blog article entitled “Amazon plans to launch Amazon PrimeAir, their 30 minute Drone Package Delivery Service for Amazon Prime users - Playing Catch-up as Mailpak launches DealBug in Jamaica”; delivery of 5Kg Packages in under 30 minutes to your home.

But as Amazon is getting closer and closer to receiving permission from the FAA to test out the Drones that are a part of Amazon PrimeAir, the patent files with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office reveals a very ambitious Drone Delivery systems as detailed in the article “Amazon’s Drones revealed in patent”, published May 10, 2015 by Michael Rundle, Ars Technica

Amazon’s Patent for Amazon PrimeAir – How Swarm Intelligence will pilot Semi-Autonomous Drones  

For one, their autonomous Drone System would deliver packages to you not just at your home, but anywhere you happen to be under thirty (30) minutes, even if that location if out at sea. 

The customer would select to have that option, called “Bring It To Me” on their smartphone and the Amazon Drone would then leave the fulfillment center with your package.

It would then navigate its way to you, using the GPS data from your smartphone, drawing on information from a fleet of other Amazon PrimeAir Drones, specially designed to carry out specialized flying tasks. The special Drones, which would be area, would be able to relay weather and wind conditions as well as other obstacles and dangers in the area.

It would also use technology such as LIDAR, Sonar and Radar to detect moving objects and avoid collisions, making decisions as it flies, very similar to the Drones being tested under Google  X Labs Project Wing a described in my blog article entitled “Google X Labs Project Wing - How to own a Global Satellite based Semi-Autonomous VTOL Drone Delivery Service”.

This is basically Swarm Artificial Intelligence, similar to the logic used by Ants, in which the Drones constantly update a server via a Wireless Network on the conditions around them. The Server then routes that data to the other Amazon PrimeAir Drone that are a part of the Swarm Network, allowing them to coordinate their flight patterns.

Thus, each Drone benefits from the knowledge from the others, allowing the Amazon PrimeAir System of Drones to fly safely and without incident.

Amazon PrimeAir up close – Personal Touch with Call Center Agent via Private White Space Network

According to the Patent Filing, once the Drones is close to you, it'll hand over control to a remote entity controller who will pilot the Drone close enough to the person to make the delivery. More interestingly, a Call Center Agent may be patched though to the Drone, possibly using White Space Frequencies to speak to the persons directly.

This feature is reminiscent of Delft University of Technology's Alec Momont and how his Rapid Ambulance Drone works as noted in my blog article entitled “Rapid Response Ambulance Drone developed by Delft University of Technology's Alec Momont - How a Flying Tricopter with a Defibrillator can save lives”. 

If this is Amazon's idea for PrimeAir, it is certainly more ambitious than Alibaba's PR stunt to deliver Green Tea to residents in Shanghai as reported in my blog article entitled “Alibaba and Drones Deliveries – Three day Ginger Tea Taobao Drone Delivery Test of AI Drones in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou”.

Technically speaking, if I’m reading this Patent Application right, Amazon PrimeAir will basically stalk you and find you and deliver your package to you, no matter where you are as noted in the article “Amazon Drones Find You Anywhere to Deliver Package”, published MAY 12, 2015 BY GLENN MCDONALD, Discovery.

But not only that, Amazon may also be ready to launch their own Telecom Network, as in order to maintain control of their Drones out of sight of the operators in a central NOC and patch through to a Call Center Agent, they’d have to have their own Private Network.

Most likely, they’ll be using a Network based on White Space Frequencies, which are in the process of being liberalized in the US of A as well as in England as reported in my blog article entitled “OfCom approves White Spaces usage in Britain - Why Digital Switch Over in Jamaica is Necessary for Unlicensed White Space Frequencies”.

Amazon will soon be testing in the US of a once the FAA give them permission, allowing them to take their testing thus far in Canada to the US of A.

Hopefully, before 2015 had ended, Drone Deliveries will be a part of Amazon's system, making a Call Center's Agent's promise to an Amazon Prime customer of a delivery within 1 day or less a promise that the EMC3 (Earth Most Customer Centric Company) can swear by.


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