The first drone deliveries soon available with Amazon. The eu e-commerce giant plans to launch its drone delivery service in California this year, called Prime Air, a mode of transporting goods on which start-ups and large groups, such as Walmart, have been working for years. The e-commerce giant plans to take practical tests in Lockerford, a Californian city, the group announced in a statement on Monday. “Later this year (…) residents will be able to register to be delivered by drone for free”, indicates Amazon, without further details on the date. The company is still awaiting the green light from the authorities.
Consumers will be able to choose “between thousands of everyday products” that will be dropped by the drone in their garden. Their feedback should be used to improve the service, which Amazon hopes to scale up to “meet the needs of customers everywhere”. The group says it created a dozen prototypes before arriving at a model that can identify and avoid obstacles, both static and moving, from chimneys to other aerial devices and pets. “Most drones do not have this capability (…) and require observers to help them avoid risks. They can be deployed fairly quickly, but remain limited to a small operating radius”, assures Amazon.
