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Amazon has made its first drone delivery to an actual customer

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Re: Amazon has made its first drone delivery to an actual customer

#201
post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the contrary, I sell things online (and through Amazon) and it's common advice that we sellers treat packages as if they will be thrown/dropped, because during shipping they often are. More expensive products tend to have more padding since it's cheaper to add more airbags in than replace the product. And Amazon is of course incentive to not have products break all the time either, their customers wouldn't trust i…

I agree that there is some protection for drops. However, the expected drop in an Amazon warehouse, or a UPS shipping center is not a 20 foot one. I'd doubt it's even a 10 foot one. I've seen the insides of both of those buildings (my local ones). Things get shaken, stacked, and dropped. A 20 meter drop is ridiculous, and the logistics of getting a drone 10 feet off the ground in a city is still and issue imo.

I suppose it depends on the city, I guess in NYC where there are many people on the sidewalk it would be hard, but in Atlanta I don't think it'd be an issue, there's usually quite a lot of space.

Re: Amazon has made its first drone delivery to an actual customer

#202
post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cities seem like the easiest challenge to tackle. Amazon could work with commercial and residential high rises and put a dock on their rooftops. So, the drone approaches the building rooftop, puts the package in the docking area (that keeps out poor weather), and then flies away. One of the receptionists could then get a notification of a new package, pick it up, and either put it in the appropriate mailbox, or hold…

A rooftop of a residential high rise isn't a place filled with machinery, it's patio space. The whole top floor is either one or two apartments, has 14' high ceilings, and the very richest live there. They're not gonna want Amazon to land a drone in the middle of their party, nor have anyone come up to say Hi and pick up a package.

In my experience in NYC, most buildings have some mechanical and some recreational space somewhere on their roofs and/or balconies. Sometimes this is private recreational space, sometimes shared, sometimes a little of both.

Re: Amazon has made its first drone delivery to an actual customer

#203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting, technically don't home owners own the air above their house up to several hundred feet? What if I don't want it flying over me, can I knock it down?

If you could knock a drone down at 400ft up, I'd really be impressed. Your accuracy would have to be incredible.

I'd probably try to jam the signal, use a kite, use my own drone, etc.
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