Amazon Reveals Its Latest Delivery Drone Design
Amazon claims the deliveries will begin in the next few months with a new drone that combines the behavior of a plane with that of a helicopter.
According to CNN, Amazon claims the deliveries will begin in the next few months with a new drone it built that combines the behavior of a plane with that of a helicopter.
The company unveiled its latest Prime Air electric delivery drone on Wednesday at its re:Mars artificial intelligence conference in Las Vegas. The drone has a central compartment for carrying goods and a hexagonal shrouding that acts as its wings, while also protecting (and shielding people from) a series of rotors.
Jeff Wilke, Amazon’s CEO of worldwide consumer, said at the event that the drones will be able to deliver packages that weigh less than five pounds over distances of up to 15 miles in less than half an hour. It can move around in 3D space, which is more than a typical quadcopter, and it’s designed to be quiet so people may not hear it coming.
“We’re not saying all our shipments will be on drones, but the opportunity is tremendous,” Wilke said.
Wilke said Amazon’s latest drone uses visual, thermal, and ultrasonic sensors — as well as machine-learning algorithms — to figure out what nearby objects it may want to avoid. In the air, he said, the drone needs to be able to identify moving and static objects from any direction, whether it’s a paraglider in the distance or a chimney on a house below.
More Amazon news
Amazon Alexa listens and transcribes everything you say
Amazon Alexa transcripts cannot be deleted You can delete voice recordings so Amazon can't listen to your conversations with Alexa anymore, but text records are a different story. Amazon doesn't need to hear your voice recordings to know what you've said....
Jeff Bezos unveils plans to send a spaceship to the moon
"It's time to go back to the moon, this time to stay" The billionaire unveiled his unmanned lunar lander Blue Moon and spoke of his hopes to send people to the moon by 2024. Jeff Bezos has announced he is going to send a spaceship to the moon, reports SKY...
Amazon may have fully automated warehouses in 10 years
It’s going to be a while before the robots take over The future of Amazon will undoubtedly involve artificial intelligence and robotics, but it’s an open question at what point AI-powered machines will be doing a majority of the work. According to Scott...