10 points to remember from Amazon Prime Air

The irreplaceable Jeremy Clarkson, former host of Top Gear at Amazon, just to make a first appearance since his ouster from the BBC. In a short video, he presents some pictures of the Amazon Prime Air project. You can see a new delivery drone rather imposing but also and especially how Amazon intends to integrate the drone in its logistics processes. A drone designed specifically to carry out this mission, but who is going to have to deal with the laws of the different countries where Amazon is present before the service.


1. There will be not one Amazon drone, but a family of UAVs

Amazon Prime Air - DroneIf the Amazon Prime Air video presents a new drone, should by necessarily rely on images. It’s a prototype, apparently devoid of sensors that will be necessary for the important part of this video vol., Jeremy Clarkson reveals that Amazon quick delivery service only will rely not on a drone, but a whole family of drones to the capacity to respond to various cases.

2. Better live within 25 km of a warehouse

Amazon Prime Air - EntrepôtThe scope of delivery in 30 minutes by drone service be limited to few only? The video mentions a maximum range of 25 km. It’s not bad for a lightweight drone that must achieve its mission in less than 30 minutes, but for a giant of e-commerce such as Amazon, it is short. voila which will leave large white areas not covered. Amazon’s long-range drones in its cartons? The regulation may be the main obstacle to larger drones.


3. a rather imposing convertible UAV

Amazon Prime Air Drone 2While the first Amazon Prime Air drone was a relatively conventional octopter, the new drone was specifically designed to accomplish its mission. The drone has a bunker to load carton and especially it is a take-off vertical via 8 propellers but also able to fly in the traditional way with a propeller placed at the rear. Result, a drone imposing whose wingspan and length blithely exceeds the meter and capable of flying at more than 90 km/h.


4. a limited carrying capacity

Amazon Prime Air - Capacité d'emportThe drone presented in the video is impressive and her exact measurements are not mentioned, we know that it weighs 25 kg which, from the point of view of French legislation prohibit overflight of built-up areas. This new drone is imposing but its cargo bay seems not much larger than the cardboard used to ship a cardboard shoe. Amazon no doubt felt that this format meets most of the potential customers of Amazon Prime Air commands.


5. a drone that thwarts the obstacles

Amazon Prime Air - sense&avoid

The passage of the video of the flight of the drone in on-board camera shows a system able to analyze its environment and to identify any barriers. The navigation will be not only a GPS trace tracking but the drone will be able to stay away from trees and other obstacles without human assistance. The video also refers to a capacity to fit into the traffic of other drones.

6. a two-speed flight

Airspace-DesignWith its video, Amazon gave some details about the way in which its engineers imagine the traffic of drones. Amazon participates in the commission that imagines the future U.S. regulations. Amazon imagine traffic on 2 levels: logically, to the lowest flight level, under 200 feet (60 m), the flight will be at low speed and more high speed between 200 and 400 feet. This is the proposal that makes Amazon the American civil aviation authority.


7. a digital device integrated

Amazon Prime Air - AppAmazon does not fly drones for the beauty of the gesture. The drone will fit in its delivery process. The designers of the system including imagined that the drone would receive its automated way loading then receive a confirmation on the part of the purchaser from the mobile application. The buyer is informed of the imminent arrival of the drone, it can then prepare the landing area and receive his parcel.

8. a target for the landing area

Amazon Prime Air - cibleOne of the innovations unveiled by the video, it is certainly the tracking of the landing of the drone zone system. It, via an optical system will look for a target at the Amazon logo in the alleged area. With an algorithm such as the one found on the applications of augmented reality it identifies the image in the scenery, ensures that no obstacle impinges on the area in question and can begin its descent.


9. a service limited to houses with garden?

Amazon Prime Air - Delivery ZoneOne of the criticisms that we could formulate the previously present Amazon Prime Air Service, is is limited to houses with garden or discovery course. A limit that version 2 does not throw. Some inventors have imagined systems to hang at the windows and balconies to receive a parcel but Amazon for now nothing showed comparable. The American will waive the drones to serve dense urban areas, this is probably the case knowing that he has already mastered fast delivery in town with more conventional means.


10. no commissioning date announced

Amazon Prime Air - Jeremy ClarksonNo start-up date is mentioned in the video. Jeremy Clarkson refers to a very remote date. Amazon is wrong to say when he could take off his drones from its warehouses. The U.S. still lacks exemption to fly the drones in the United States. Amazon is thus forced to wait for future regulations to be drafted and adopted by the FAA before to fold and finally launch its service Amazon premium Air.


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