Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given Amazon permission to fly its delivery drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). With that hurdle cleared, the company claims it can fly farther and expand drone service, providing customers faster delivery and a larger selection of items, Amazon announced in a blog post.
Until now, the FAA has only allowed Amazon to fly drones as far as someone could see them from the ground. That way, spotters or pilots could ensure that drones weren't interfering with aircraft. However, the constraint seriously limited how far the drones could travel.
To move beyond that, Amazon said it spent years developing "onboard detect-and-avoid technology." It submitted engineering information to the FAA including operation, maintenance and performance details. Flight tests were then conducted in the presence of FAA inspectors around airplanes, helicopters and a hot air balloon to "demonstrate how the drone safely navigated away from each one of them," Amazon said.
With BVLOS approval in hand, the company plans to expand its delivery area around its drone facility at College Station, Texas. Later in 2024, drone deliveries will be integrated into its broader delivery network.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Frosty Piss on Monday June 03 2024, @06:44PM (4 children)
Like Bezo's Penis Rocket, "delivery drones" are just a rich man's toy. Or maybe he can sell it to the military. As a practical method of delivering Amazon junk, it's not going to happen for a lot of reasons. But it does get him free press.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Tork on Monday June 03 2024, @06:57PM (2 children)
BTW I don't think this is a rich-man's toy, I think it's a step towards Amazon reducing their workforce.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Ox0000 on Monday June 03 2024, @07:18PM (1 child)
Why not both: to make a set of rich men even richer...
I do wonder what makes someone with a worth of multiple billions of dollars wake up in the morning and tell themselves: "You know, I would feel so much better if I had even more money."
The boundless greed is sickening.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday June 05 2024, @12:13AM
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Freeman on Monday June 03 2024, @09:58PM
This is "just a rich man's toy" for the moment, perhaps. The end goal is to cut out as many of the people in the chain as possible. People complain, want enough money to feed their families, and come with a lot of baggage (health insurance, safe workplace requirements, discrimination issues, etc.). Cut out the people and all you need is serviceable equipment. It obviously won't cut out the need for any humans, but that's the modern capitalistic dream.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Monday June 03 2024, @06:55PM (19 children)
a lot of drones snared in bird nets or getting pelted by buckshot. Flying free shit and nobody in sight is bound to give some people ideas...
(Score: 2) by Tork on Monday June 03 2024, @07:03PM (7 children)
Personally I think if the drones are fairly reliable about getting from point A to point B our skylines will resemble Coruscant in a short amount of time.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 3, Touché) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Monday June 03 2024, @07:08PM (6 children)
I have news for you: thieves don't give a shit about being cool to anybody.
So? If you shoot a drone out of the sky, just wear a balaclava and take the goodies. The drones are unattented. Fat good it'll do having a video of a guy with obscured features once the goods are gone.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 03 2024, @08:16PM (2 children)
They already take stuff, on camera, at WalMart all the time.
I believe in California, it's not a felony until it goes over $950.
The foundation of our nation (USA) is based on a moral populace. That foundation is crumbling.
https://onlinecoursesblog.hillsdale.edu/our-constitution-was-made-only-for-a-moral-and-religious-people/ [hillsdale.edu]
(Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 04 2024, @12:44AM (1 child)
I can't say that's unreasonable. They recently raised that limit to $950 because it was unreasonably low. Do you think people should be labeled felons and locked up for that amount? That higher level is also a bit below average for the country as a whole [worldpopulationreview.com].
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday June 04 2024, @05:08AM
That's an eye-opening link. $2500 in Texas BTW.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Monday June 03 2024, @08:19PM (2 children)
K, but we also still have cars with easy-to-break windows. It's not tech that's keeping our shit relatively safe.
I think you overestimate the sophistication of thieves. In theory 'Ring' cameras should never pick up stupid thieves, but the opposite has happened. The reason I even mentioned exploiting drones was I saw a meme on Facebook that was going around not long ago where someone kicked over one of those drones that resembles an RC-controlled cooler, raided the contents, and got his smiling mug plastered on social media as a result of it.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 04 2024, @12:47AM (1 child)
I get the idea the drone parts would likely be more valuable than what the drone was carrying.
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Tuesday June 04 2024, @07:15AM
Only if you can sell it.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday June 03 2024, @07:04PM (8 children)
In places where people shoot at drones, I imagine they soon won't be getting any more deliveries by drones. Maybe not by human drivers either. Maybe not even by unmanned vehicles.
The server will be down for replacement of vacuum tubes, belts, worn parts and lubrication of gears and bearings.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 03 2024, @07:24PM (6 children)
You say that as if that's a bad thing... how often do you actually really need the contents of that package, versus merely want? Maybe consuming a bit less and handing less money to the likes of Amazon and more to your local stores might be a smarter way of living.
Plus, not having those drones, nor trucks that think that turning on their hazards creates an instant parking spot in the middle of the road, is probably a net positive.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday June 03 2024, @08:08PM (1 child)
It all depends on where you live and how easy it is to get out of the house.
The server will be down for replacement of vacuum tubes, belts, worn parts and lubrication of gears and bearings.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 03 2024, @09:59PM
Not only how easy it is to get out, but, how easy it is to go about your business once out of the house. Mama has her good days, and bad days. I have my good days, and bad days. We recently made six stops in one day, taking care of business. Last stop was the grocery store. We were both exhausted, so I parked up front in one of the handicap spots. I says to myself, "Self, you know you don't want a ticket for doing this, you better get a cripple placard!" So, we made a seventh stop, to get that placard. Point is, those parking lots are YUUUGE, and the damned store is also yuge. You don't have to be totally crippled for a shopping trip to exhaust you. Stop at a Walmart on an especially busy day, and it may be a 1/4 mile round trip from the parking spot to the entrance! Add in walking up and down aisles, you may walk 1/2 mile in one outing to Wally World.
(Score: 2) by mhajicek on Tuesday June 04 2024, @12:43AM (1 child)
For my machine shop business, I frequently order less than a pound of cutters for same day pickup from my supplier, 20 minutes drive away. Getting them delivered by drone would save me 45 minutes, and could be much cheaper than a courier.
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: 2, Insightful) by anubi on Tuesday June 04 2024, @01:04AM
I would think auto mechanics would be all in on this.
A mechanic often has no idea what broke until he pops the hood and sees for himself.
My guess is that only certain customers will qualify for drone deliveries...
I could definitely see a Bluetooth phone app for delivering a good to a precise location, using the phone's gps to get location, and it's Bluetooth to provide a precise homing beacon. Place the phone where the drone is to deliver. Or maybe with a bit of "AI", gesturing to the drone will give final target instructions..like holding hands in air will instruct the drone to bring to you and release once it senses you have the parcel. It will deliver to whoever is wearing the phone it has contact with.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday June 04 2024, @05:12AM
Sounds like you merely want your stuff. Gimme.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by acid andy on Tuesday June 04 2024, @11:26AM
One. Million. Times. This. Consume less. Buy second hand, make it yourself or just go without for another 6 months if it's not essential. You'll likely be richer as a result and the world, for both humans and other species, will be a tiny bit better as a result.
error count exceeds 100; stopping compilation
(Score: 2) by aafcac on Monday June 03 2024, @11:51PM
I wouldn't expect drone delivery in most places. This could potentially be useful in places where the roads are kind of odd with long driveways. Or, in urban areas these could be used to drop things off on people's balconies or from a bit further away if there's no safe parking, but in general, I think the practical aspects are going to dictate that a person, or ground based robot, will be used most of the time.
(Score: 2) by Ox0000 on Monday June 03 2024, @07:21PM (1 child)
To what height do property rights go/stretch?
Will drones have to follow particular air corridors? What if they annoyingly keep flying over my property within a "certain range" (if I can hear them, they're within range) but without permission?
(Score: 3, Informative) by Freeman on Monday June 03 2024, @10:00PM
Not very high, at least in the USA. Airspace doesn't belong to the landowners, it's regulated by the government.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Frosty Piss on Monday June 03 2024, @07:41PM (2 children)
The first time one of these things collides with an aircraft or drops a package on a baby, it'll be over.
(Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Monday June 03 2024, @08:09PM (1 child)
If storks fly safely enough to deliver babies, then maybe Amazon should use them as a greener alternative to drones?
The server will be down for replacement of vacuum tubes, belts, worn parts and lubrication of gears and bearings.
(Score: 4, Touché) by Gaaark on Monday June 03 2024, @08:19PM
Yeah; i'm not sure why my wife was making all that fuss with pushing and sweating and crying... the stork did all the work, lol.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. I have always been here. ---Gaaark 2.0 --