Since 2013 Amazon have tried to get laws and regulations changed in the U.S to test the delivery of items by drones with little success. The found Jeff Bezos is always trying to push the company forward into the future to give it a competitive edge over its competition and the best way to do that is to speed up the delivery service. The company has recently announced that they have teamed up with the Government in the UK to start testing drones for the purpose of delivery. It was passed by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and its main headquarters are based in Cambridge.
The drone delivery service is called “Prime Air” and it uses small drones to carry packages up to the weight of 5 pounds. In tests, it shows that items can be delivered successfully within 30 minutes or less. For the service to be a success it will need FAA approvals in the countries is wants to offer the service along with further safety testing.
The drones that Amazon are developing are extremely advanced and work using a sense and avoid system. They are able to detect what is happening around them along with sensing obstacles in the air and on the ground.
Amazon will work alongside the CAA and will be on board to help with getting the drones to a point where they can be safely used. The tests undertaken will help provide the regulations and policy requirements of future drone delivery services. The CAA director Tim Johnson said:
“We want to enable the innovation that arises from the development of drone technology by safely integrating drones into the overall aviation system. These tests by Amazon will help inform our policy and future approach.”
Amazon is not the only new players in this field that are creating their own automated drone delivery service. Google and more recently Walmart in the U.S have started tests. It will be a fierce battle between three of the largest companies in the world. The one that manages to be the first will have the competitive edge over its competition.
In January of this year, Google applied for the patent and was granted it for drone delivery with space to store items securely. In the patent, it describes a drone that is able to take items to a receptacle delivery point to deliver items to a secure place.
Conclusion
With three of the biggest companies in the world competing along with many more cutting edge developers, it seems inevitable that in the very near future when we look up at the sky we will see drones whizzing around delivering packages. If the technology keeps traffic from the roads and it completely environmentally friendly, it is something that people should be in favor of. The current road systems all across the world are in terrible shape and this technology will help cut the costs of repairing motorways and heavily used roads. With electric automated cars now available to buy and use legally in certain parts of the world, it will not be long before we see the same in the skies above us. There are still a lot of problems to overcome but we expect within the next five years that this technology will become mainstream.