Amazon Will Pilot Drone Delivery in California This Year – Singularity Hub

The number of packages people orderand the number of people ordering packagesisnt likely to go down anytime in the foreseeable future, and companies are working on ways to get those packages delivered quickly and cheaply. Too many delivery trucks cause traffic and congestion; youve doubtless seen the Amazon, FedEx, or UPS trucks take over loading zones on your block for an annoyingly long time (I sure have).

All sorts of wacky solutions have been proposed for better package delivery, from an underground hyperloop network of pipes to swarms of last-mile robots dispatched from mothership vans.

Lets not forget ever-elusive delivery drones. The widespread assumption was that Amazon would be the first to have its packages take to the skies, but as it turned out, Walmart beat them to the punch, piloting drone delivery in North Carolina in 2020.

Now Amazons catching up. The company announced this week that its starting drone delivery service in Lockeford, California later this year. South-east of Sacramento in the states hot, dry Central Valley area, the town had a population of just 3,521 as of the 2020 census. An Amazon press release says the town has historic links to the aviation industry thanks to a former resident who built and flew planes there in the early 1900s.

The company doesnt give additional details around why it chose Lockeford for the Prime Air pilot, though the towns rural location, the fact that most customers there have backyards for the drones to drop packages in, and the lack of numerous obstacles youd find in a more urban or densely-populated area likely all factored in.

Amazon has been trying to get drone delivery off the ground (pun intended) since 2013, when then-CEO Jeff Bezos went on 60 Minutes and demoed a drone he claimed could deliver packages weighing five pounds or less in under 30 minutes. Since then, the company has cycled through various iterations of delivery drones (more than two dozen, according to the press release), from a quadcopter that carried packages in its fuselage to a helicopter/airplane hybrid to its current hexagonal model, whose propellers were designed to minimized high-frequency sound waves.

The companys progress on bringing its delivery drones to market has been slow due to safety concernsincluding multiple crashesand regulatory approvals. In fact, Prime Air is still waiting for Part 135 certification from the Federal Aviation Administration, which allows companies to operate commercial delivery drones.

On the safety front, among other measures, Amazon has built what it calls an industry-leading sense-and-avoid system to keep its drones from crashing into thingsthings like other aircraft, people, pets, or unexpected obstacles (like, say, a chimney or an antenna). When a drones sensors detect objects within a certain radius of it, it automatically changes course, and as it descends to drop packages, it checks that the surrounding space is clear.

Customers in Lockeford will know when placing their Amazon orders whether a given package will arrive by drone or by truck, as specific items will be marked as Prime Air eligible. Amazon will use feedback from Lockeford residents to improve and expand the service in coming years. The company hasnt announced a specific date or month for the pilots launch yet, but says its happening before the end of the year.

Image Credit: Amazon

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Amazon Will Pilot Drone Delivery in California This Year - Singularity Hub