Amazon
Drones have finally received a much needed makeover.
This
time they can take off like a helicopter and fly like an aeroplane as noted in
the article “Amazon
delivery drones get a new look”, published November 29, 2015 by Steven
Musil, CNET News.
The
newer design is an upgrade from the previous one that Amazon showcased as part
of their Amazon Prime Air ambitions to make 30 minute delivery a reality as
noted in my 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”.
The
new Amazon Prime Air drone looks more like a seaplane but with the capability
to take off and land vertically, stealing design cues from Sony's Aerosense
drones as noted in the MICO
Wars article “Why
Sony’s Aerosense VTOL Drones will make US$82.6 million by 2020”.
In
the video above, Amazon has former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson, giving
commentary for their latest project. This new design differs from the original
in that it has VTOL (Vertical Take off and Landing), switching to airplane like
flight once it's airborne.
Amazon
Prime members would have to place a target on their land so that the cameras on
board the Amazon Prime Air Drone would be able to recognize where to land on your
property. Helpful if you live in the countryside but not much if you live in an
apartment with no access to the roof.
This
is one of several different designs that Amazon promises to make for different
flying environments. The Hydrid Amazon drone featured in the video has a flying
range of 15 miles. Amazon’s new drone also loads the package inside of its
fuselage, instead of carrying it outside in a plastic box like the previous
helicopter model.
Evidence
that Amazon has been putting their research time grated to them by the FAA
(Federal Aviation Authority) wisely as noted in my blog article
entitled “@amazon
PrimeAir approved by the FAA – Why Postal Corporation of Jamaica will Start
Drone Deliveries in Rural and Corporate Jamaica”.
Amazon
has also decided to debut a new technology that enables this drones to avoid
colliding with objects in flight, possibly based on the same Swarm Intelligence
that Amazon had mentioned back in May 2015 as reported in my blog article
entitled “Amazon’s
Prime Air Patent – How Swarm Intelligence pilots @Amazon Autonomous Drones via
White Spaces Network with Call Center Agent Personal Touch”.
Hopefully
by 2017, they'd have also figured out how to make Drones make deliveries
autonomously without the need for a pilot, as demand for such a service is
certain to be very high.
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