Amazon to begin drone deliveries to some California backyards. How it will work
After nearly a decade of development, Amazon will begin to deliver packages with drones later this year in California, the company said.
The tech giant will begin to deliver products by drone via Prime Air to residents in Lockeford, California, an unincorporated area about 40 miles south of Sacramento, the company announced Monday, June 13. Amazon plans to use the feedback from this first community to better plan for future expansions.
“Lockeford residents will soon have access to one of the world’s leading delivery innovations,” said California State Assemblyman Heath Flora, who represents the area, said in a release.
Amazon said it is working with the Federal Aviation Administration, along with local officials, to get proper permissions for the deliveries.
Amazon is one of three companies to get an FAA air carrier certificate, which is required to operate these types of drones to ensure proper safety guidelines are followed, the statement said.
Former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos first spoke of 30-minute deliveries by drone in 2013, according to The Verge. Since then, the company had struggled to get the service off the ground.
Monday’s announcement comes after the development of two dozen prototypes, Amazon said.
The company has created a “sense-and-avoid system” for this latest fleet of drones, the statement said, which will allow them “to operate at greater distances while safely and reliably avoiding other aircraft, people, pets, and obstacles.”
This system is meant to allow the drone to be safe while in transit and when approaching the ground, the company said, using algorithms so the drone can “identify static and moving obstacles” like chimneys or aircraft.
“If obstacles are identified, our drone will automatically change course to safely avoid them,” the statement said.
When the drone arrives to drop off a package in a customer’s backyard, it will do it in an area clear of “people, animals, or other obstacles,” the statement said
Later this year, to place orders using Prime Air, customers in Lockeford will be able to choose drone delivery for eligible items, the statement said. After placing an order, they will receive an estimated arrival time and status tracker.
“For these deliveries, the drone will fly to the designated delivery location, descend to the customer’s backyard, and hover at a safe height,” the statement said. “It will then safely release the package and rise back up to altitude.”
The company plans to use the experiences of those in Lockeford to expand its Prime Air program, the release said.
