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Amazon Unveils Delivery By Drone

zdnet.com

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Re: Amazon Unveils Delivery By Drone

#81

Post by electromagnetic »

ratsbane wrote: post #32

Roof-mounted miniature helipad mailboxes, painted with QR codes. Really, why don't houses already have package receptacles for UPS and FedEx?

I don't get why either. Just have a drop box like in the old days when ice used to be delivered house to house into the icebox via a little locked door the iceman had the key too.

Although with these, I don't see why window box style package drops wouldn't appear. All it would have to be is a rigid mesh frame so it's not affected by wind/rain/snow, which would also make it light weight so it could be constructed easily large enough for the mini helicopters to make drops into. Put the QR codes on a sticker that goes on the window like an alarm company sticker.

I know the first response will be "that'll never happen", but it would allow package delivery any time, anywhere. Live on the 5th floor of a walk up? Your new game will be waiting right outside your window when you get home.

I honestly imagine there would be high demand for this for courier services.

Re: Amazon Unveils Delivery By Drone

#82

Post by kamaal »

crazytony wrote: post #12
merryandrew wrote: post #8

If this ever actually happens, delivery theft will be rampant.

stuff the package, I'm stealing the drone....

Will you?

I don't see 'rampant theft' of delivery vans.

If drones become the common place, why should any one steal them.

Honestly its a 18th century person using horse carriages saying cars becoming common will lead to rampant car theft. If something is freely available the motivation to steal it drops.

Re: Amazon Unveils Delivery By Drone

#84

Post by xylia »

george88b wrote: post #56
waterlesscloud wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was a bit distraught to see human hands touching my requested item at one point in the video. Surely that can be eliminated.

Maybe this is what they need: http://www.rethinkrobotics.com/products/baxter/

Hmm...I think Baxter will surrepent (http://prevaricate.me/?p=666) into my room though...

Re: Amazon Unveils Delivery By Drone

#86

Post by im3w1l »

evan_ wrote: post #16
fiatmoney wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lots of ways to knock out a drone out of the sky.

Presumably they'll have GPS and will phone home constantly- if someone shoots it down/hits it with a thrown ball/etc Amazon will probably send someone out to find it. If they find it mounted on someone's wall like a hunting trophy they'll call the police.

Shoot it down, take out the battery, put it in a faraday cage bag and sell it to the blackhat hardware modder. It ain't pretty but a few of those, and you can afford both food and mortage. You got to live off something, and jobs have been hard to come by since The Automatization.

Re: Amazon Unveils Delivery By Drone

#87

Post by e1l1 »

Tiktaalik wrote: post #63
merryandrew wrote: post #8

If this ever actually happens, delivery theft will be rampant.

My first thought is that knocking drones out of the sky (not necessarily to steal their contents) could become the new fun activity for bored juvenile delinquents.

Not just juvenile delinquents. I am well into my 40s, and I am not sure I am going to be able to resist take a shot at them.

Re: Amazon Unveils Delivery By Drone

#88

Post by Houshalter »

dsrguru wrote: post #62

This is terrifying. If they successfully lobby to legalize commercial drones in low-flying airspace, the peaceful sky will be polluted with flying robots (we've destroyed the terrestrial environment already, seriously don't need to destroy the sky too), businesses would have access to terrifying surveillance, criminals/terrorists could remotely break into drones or fly their own disguised to look like commercial ones…

I can't tell if this is sarcasm or not. But if you really are serious, criminals can already use drones and there is no profitable reason any private business would want to track you with drones (and if it did become an issue we could outlaw that specifically without stopping legitimate uses of drones.)

As far as "polluting the sky" that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Flying robots delivering packages everywhere sounds incredibly awesome to me, and if not, well we can't please everyone's aesthetic preference. Our current infrastructure of cars and pavement everywhere isn't particularly beautiful as it is. Electric drones flying back and forth don't require any new infrastructure or "destroy the sky".

I also doubt there would be drone's everywhere. Maybe, but I'm guessing it'd just be something you occasionally see. You might not notice it at all depending how high they fly.

Re: Amazon Unveils Delivery By Drone

#89

Post by Houshalter »

bjg wrote: post #68
baddox wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that's a misplaced concern. I'd rather have them in the skies than on the streets, competing with personal automobiles, pedestrians, bicyclists, etc.

Altering natura ecosystem further is more favorable than inconveniencing people while they go about their days?

You don't think roads and cars alter natural ecosystems?
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