Amazon Prime Air: The Future of Package Delivery
Look up in the sky – it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… a delivery from Amazon? As absurd as it sounds, that’s something that might become all too familiar if the online retail giant has its way with Amazon Prime Air, the still-in-the-works drone delivery program. It almost seems too ludicrous to be true, but it’s real, and it’s happening. Here’s what you need to know about the Amazon Prime Air.
What Exactly Is Amazon Prime Air?
Right now, when you order something from Amazon, that request goes to one of the company’s fulfillment centers, which are big warehouses that keep all their best-selling items in stock. A warehouse worker finds that product among all the tons of other products kept in the warehouse, packs it up, and puts it on a mail truck. Then you wait.
Amazon Prime Air changes that last part. Rather than your package going on a truck, your package goes into a box and that box is hooked up to a drone, which flies off to your house and lands the package at your doorstep or in your yard. Amazon says that the time it takes from you clicking “Order” to receiving the package will be 30 minutes or less.
The Technology As of Now
That all sounds pretty neat, right? And while Amazon has already tested this and is capable of delivering packages in such a matter (yes, in 30 minutes or less), it’s still working on the technology to make all of this feasible. First of all, the designs of the craft are still being perfected. One model looks like a miniature barbecue grill, while another works like a model plane.
Of course, appearances aren’t everything. The current model can fly up to 15 miles, and when you do the math, you’ll realize that that Amazon either needs to have a lot more fulfillment centers or they need to work on getting the drones to fly longer distances. Safety is another concern that Amazon is well aware of, and they boast that the drones’ built-in technology can detect and avoid hazards both in the air and on the ground.
What the Future Holds for Amazon Prime Air
This all seems very sci-fi, but it’s something that Amazon is very serious about. So, will we soon see drones blotting out the sky? Besides buffing up the technology, Amazon also needs to work with the governments in the countries it plans to bring this service to. After all, drones deal with air space, but the distances in which drones operate isn’t quite regulated yet.
Another hurdle Amazon faces is people’s reactions to the drone. While customers won’t be able to argue with 30-minute service, many people still find drones intrusive. Drones are still not common enough for people to have fully accepted them. Nevertheless, Amazon has repeatedly said that one day, drones will be as common to us as mail trucks on a street.
The Amazon Prime Air promises to revolutionize the way delivery works, and if Amazon has their way, we’ll be seeing drones in the sky very soon. Right now, you might think delivery by drone is a little creepy, but as soon as you need that one product delivered quickly, will you be able to argue with it?