Amazon Prime Air shows how VTOL Drone Design is best for Commercial Drone delivery services

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.