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that of Amazon delivery via drone service has finally taken flight with the folks of Lockeford, California, who were the first to receive packages through the Prime Air program later this year.
The way the service works according to Amazon (opens in new tab), is that customers residing in Lockeford will see items in the online store eligible for Prime Air delivery. You place an order as usual. After that, you get a status tracker with an estimated time of arrival on the order as the drone flies to your destination.
The drone will fly to a space above your backyard, find an area free of obstacles, and hover at a “safe height” above the yard. Then the drone lowers the package, releases it to the ground and flies away.
Amazon has revealed something about the features of its drones, something other similar services don’t really talk about. The company claims the drones are equipped with an “advanced … sense-and-avoid system” to avoid obstacles. They can detect if something is moving or stationary and change course if necessary.
Amazon has partnered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and regulators to enable its drone delivery service. Looking at the photos provided, the company had to go through many different prototypes before creating one that stuck.
That said, Amazon’s brief description of its service leaves many fundamental questions unanswered.
For starters, what is considered a “safe height” for dropping packets? Which items qualify for Prime Air and are they vulnerable? What if someone doesn’t have a backyard? Are Prime Aire deliveries more expensive? Do they fall under the Amazon Prime customer benefit of free shipping? We reached out to Amazon to ask if they could clarify all of these questions and more, but at the time of writing there was no response.
Analysis: Difficult to be confident
While it’s exciting to see this service finally – ahem – take off, the lack of detail and a spotty track record of drone delivery doesn’t inspire much confidence.
So far, Amazon has struggled with its drones. A April 2022 Bloomberg Report (opens in new tab) revealed that the team was dealing with technical and security issues. Amazon has also scaled back its international drone delivery program. According to a wired report from 2021 (opens in new tab)Amazon has discontinued the Prime Air program in the UK after significant inner turmoil.
In the meantime, Walmart’s Own Drone Delivery Service looks more promising. The company has partnered with tech company DroneUp to offer a delivery program that can reach four million U.S. homes in six states. It flies for 12 hours seven days a week. Hopefully Amazon’s rocky history with drones will become a bad memory and the delivery service will take off.
Are you considering getting into drones? TechRadar has a list of best beginner drones for 2022†
