Amazon Prime Air
Out of context: Reply #17
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- GeorgesIV0
copied from reddit
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1) The drones can only deliver a few packages at a time before having to return to base and pick up a new package? A delivery van can transport hundreds at once.2) A delivery drone will not be able to operate safely in windy/rainy weather, and has a fairly limited range - a delivery van avoids most weather issues.
3) If drones fly too low - People could easily capture/shoot down delivery drones and steal the packages, especially if the drones do not record and transmit live footage (like the Amazon Air drones in the video). If they fly too high, they risk [1] causing manned planes to crash.
4) Cats, dogs and birds will likely interfere with the drones, going as far as destroying them when they land in peoples yards. (Could be avoided by dropping packages I suppose? Risking damaging them).
5) Big privacy concerns - If the drones have cameras that record footage (which will definitely be needed to minimize the other problems listed), then are people are going to be pissed when buzzing drones fly over their homes videotaping their kids in their paddling pools?
6) Many technical problems with current generation drones - they have a high crash rate, limited battery power, and their proximity sensors are generally not sensitive enough to see thin branches and power lines in time to avoid them. (Could be fixed in time with new technology).
7) Drones can be easily [2] hijacked by spoofing signals, using fairly cheap equipment. A hacker could easily take control of a drone, and use it for malicious purposes, including terrorism. - (anonymous Pipe-bomb delivery system anyone?)
8) Fast deliveries will only be possible to people who live close to an Amazon storage/drone facility that stocks the item they want. Even if they set up hundreds of these facilities, they will still only be able to offer this 30 min service to like 5% of the US landmass.
9) Americans who are concerned about the constant erosion of civil liberties, and being spied on will justifiably [3] shoot down and destroy drones that enter their airspace.
10) A single drone currently costs more to produce and maintain than a delivery van - at least for the foreseeable future. Taking into account drone losses from causes listed previously, it is obvious that large scale delivery drone systems would be a huge financial disaster.
So, are we meant to believe that Amazon didn't consider these problems?
Or is there a more sinister reason for pushing this pro-drone propaganda?
I'm sure the recent [4] 600 million dollar Amazon-CIA contract has absolutely nothing to do with it, right guys? /s
"Drones might currently be associated with military use, but that won't be the case for long. Sure, the FAA hasn't approved the use of the unmanned aerial vehicles yet and that likely won't happen until 2015 or after, but Amazon is just one of many companies and organizations beginning to think about using the pilotless-aircrafts in different ways. Welcome to the future." - [5] Quote from an ABC news article
It is OBVIOUS that this is not a new "technological paradigm", as many are claiming, but a carefully constructed PR campaign aimed at changing public opinion towards being more accepting of spy drones in the USA, strategically released the night before the biggest day in E-Commerce, "Cyber Monday", to also take advantage of millions of dollars in free advertising.