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 got caught copying products and manipulating search results
Amazon got caught cheating? Amazon has been repeatedly accused of copying third-party sellers’ products and then manipulating the search results to favor Amazon’s own brands. The company has denied the accusations. Reuters got access to internal Amazon documents...
China energy crisis wreaks havoc in the manufacturing sector
China in the dark Factories in China's busiest manufacturing provinces have been ordered to suspend production for up to a week or even longer, prompting concern global supplies of goods might be disrupted. China is in the midst of an energy crisis that has turned...
China stands up to protect intellectual property
E-commerce sites must guard intellectual property or be shut in China China plans to tighten oversight of e-commerce platforms like Alibaba Group over the infringement of intellectual property rights. Companies would lose their trading...