This week the UK government announced that it is granting special permission for Amazon to test delivery drones in the country.
In 2013, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced his vision for delivery drones in the future, and Jeremy Clarkson confirmed this last year.
The service will be called Prime Air and will account for 90% of all Amazon’s deliveries, due to weight and size restrictions. The goal is to deliver goods 30 minutes after they are purchased online. The drones can fly at 50mph and will reach a height of around 350ft (100m). Amazon have previously suggested a the creation of a separate airspace for delivery drones.
Amazon found that in its largest market, the USA, there were too many regulatory hurdles to test the drones, so they turned to their third largest market, the UK. Amazon will be paying for the programme.
The UK sky is governed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Current CAA rules state that drones cannot fly out of the line of sight of their pilot, they cannot fly within 50 metres of buildings, and a pilot cannot fly multiple drones at once. Amazon has been granted special permission to test all of these dynamics.
British ministers say they want to pave the way for all businesses to start using the technology in the future, with drone technology forecast to be worth billions.
The drones are fitted with packages weighing less than 2.2kg at a warehouse; they then fly above head, and land vertically on a special landing mat that the buyer will place in their back garden for security purposes.
Amazon have previously outlined plans to turn street lights and church spires into recharge points.
Controversy
Drones are undoubtedly a controversial addition to society, and much scepticism and questions have arisen.
The additional noise created by the part helicopter/plane mechanisms is a concern, but one of Amazon’s goals is to reduce this, so that drones can fly almost-silently.
The issue of security has been raised – drones are hackable, can be shot down, and used by criminals to deliver drugs or weapons.
Privacy is also a worry, although Amazon drones will not be fitted with cameras – they instead use sensors, people are worried that other drones could be filming them.
The popularization of delivery drones would also certainly mean a reduction in the amount of courier jobs available – which would mean widespread jobs losses. It could also lead to a further decline in the high street – why would people need to go out and buy goods if they could get them delivered to their house in the time it took to go out and buy something?
It appears the public still need to be convinced about drones; nevertheless the government are planning to create an environment where drones can operate by 2020.
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