In a small US town, Amazon plans to start delivering goods by drone later this year.
Enlarge
Amazon wants to deliver goods by drone in the United States later this year.
© amazon.com
For years Amazon has indicated that in the future it will be possible to order goods online and have them delivered to your home conveniently and quickly by drone. Now this plan is becoming reality, at least in the USA: In the city of Lockeford on the US west coast, Amazon is testing the delivery of goods by drone. City residents will be able to sign up for free drone delivery later this year. However, approval from the authorities for the test run is still missing.
24 km range
The city of Lockeford, which has a population of just 3,500, is apparently well suited for a test run of drone delivery with its manageable number of customers. The range includes thousands of everyday products. For the delivery, Amazon uses specially developed delivery drones, which are said to be about the size of a shoebox. According to Amazon, orders weighing up to 2.5 kilograms can be attached to these aircraft. The range of the drones is still an impressive 24 kilometers. According to Amazon, the drones can automatically avoid fixed and moving obstacles during delivery. The service, dubbed Prime Air, is free of charge for participants in the test run.
Walmart and FedEx also interested in drone delivery
However, Amazon is not alone in its plan to deliver goods by drone. The retailer Walmart also plans to offer drone deliveries at 34 locations in six states by the end of the year. However, customers have to pay for this. The maximum loading weight is 4.5 kilograms. According to its own statements, the delivery agent FedEx has also started testing deliveries by drone.
How drones find their way into our lives – part 1 of the series “Living with drones”
