Robohub.org
 

Amazon announces plans for drone delivery service, says safety will be key priority


by
02 December 2013



share this:
Amazon_PrimeAir2

Amazon announced yesterday that it is developing a drone delivery service called Prime Air that will aim to get packages into customer’s hands within 30 minutes. They are planning to launch as soon as FAA regulations are lifted — as early as 2015. Amazon states that safety will be their top priority. As Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says, “Look, this thing can’t land on somebody’s head while they’re walking around their neighborhood.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98BIu9dpwHU

Amazon has not been shy when it comes to investing in novel delivery systems — their $775 million investment last year in Kiva Systems brought large-scale automation to their warehouse floors in an effort to improve efficiency.

Connect the dots:

Check out this new video by Mark Mueller out of Raffaello D’Andrea’s Flying Machine Arena at ETH Zurich, and note that D’Andrea is the tech wizard behind Kiva’s robotic warehouse — the video shows a novel failsafe algorithm that allows an unmanned aerial vehicle to recover and land safely following propeller loss. According to Mueller, the algorithm allows the vehicle to remain in flight despite the loss of one, two, or possibly even three propellers. (Full disclosure: I consult with D’Andrea’s lab on communications.)

See also:
Amazon Promises Package Delivery By Drone: Is It for Real? – Evan Ackerman on Automaton
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos looks to the future –  Charlie Rose on 60 Minutes
Amazon Prime Air: 5 Predictions About the Retailer’s Delivery Drones – Doug Aamoth on TIME
UPS researching delivery drones that could compete with Amazon’s – Ben Popper on The Verge

Amazon_PrimeAir

tags: , , , ,


Hallie Siegel robotics editor-at-large
Hallie Siegel robotics editor-at-large





Related posts :



Congratulations to the #AAMAS2025 best paper, best demo, and distinguished dissertation award winners

  29 May 2025
Find out who won the awards presented at the International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems last week.

Congratulations to the #ICRA2025 best paper award winners

  27 May 2025
The winners and finalists in the different categories have been announced.

#ICRA2025 social media round-up

  23 May 2025
Find out what the participants got up to at the International Conference on Robotics & Automation.

Robot Talk Episode 122 – Bio-inspired flying robots, with Jane Pauline Ramos Ramirez

  23 May 2025
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Jane Pauline Ramos Ramirez from Delft University of Technology about drones that can move on land and in the air.

Robot Talk Episode 121 – Adaptable robots for the home, with Lerrel Pinto

  16 May 2025
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Lerrel Pinto from New York University about using machine learning to train robots to adapt to new environments.

What’s coming up at #ICRA2025?

  16 May 2025
Find out what's in store at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation, which will take place from 19-23 May.

Robot see, robot do: System learns after watching how-tos

  14 May 2025
Researchers have developed a new robotic framework that allows robots to learn tasks by watching a how-to video

AI-powered robots help tackle Europe’s growing e-waste problem

  12 May 2025
EU-funded researchers have developed adaptable robots that could transform the way we recycle electronic waste, benefiting both the environment and the economy.



 

Robohub is supported by:




Would you like to learn how to tell impactful stories about your robot or AI system?


scicomm
training the next generation of science communicators in robotics & AI


©2025.05 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence


 












©2025.05 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence