A couple of days ago I wrote about the latest in robotic food prep, but in the context of that blog, I also mentioned how Texas A&M University students were now receiving Amazon purchases by drone. And I thought, “Well, it’s about time.”
How much time? Nine years, to be exact. So much for speed. And it is such a monumental thing today that Amazon is making headlines as it rolls out their fleet of MK27-2 drones in both College Station Texas and Lockeford California.
And just for fun, I drilled back—waaaay back—in the archives of The Daily Blog to find what I wrote about it all on 3rd December 2013. People were laughing at Jeff Bezos for his seemingly preposterous idea. Rednecks were salivating at the prospects of shooting these things out of the air. Naysayers had dozens of reasons why they would never work.
Bezos was both right and wrong. They eventually did come to fruition, but he estimated it would only take three or four years to work out the kinks, paramount of which was gaining FAA approval. But now he’s cleared for takeoff.
Of course, there are still some limitations. Packages are limited to five pounds. And while maximum speed is a jaw-dropping 50mph, they only have a 12km range. That’s 7.2 miles in American, or basically a 3 1/2-mile radius from the warehouse. And that’s only on days without precipitation.
Only pre-screened items qualify for drone delivery, which means no breakables. Amazon beefs up the shipping materials anyway, because it is dropped from a height of 12 feet. Heat sensors will stop the delivery if the drone senses a dog waiting below. Or a redneck.
As if these new launches weren’t enough, Amazon has also announced the replacement of this model, a smaller, lighter unit that can also fly in the rain. The new MK30 will go into service in 2024, which is not all that far away.
Drones are the future of delivery, in spite of the fact that Amazon is also rolling out the first 1000 Rivian EV delivery vans it has purchased from the new startup. They plan to have 100,000 of them within a few years. While these new vans will be cheaper and cleaner to operate in the long run, drones offer last-mile advantages that push them over the top. They make it easier to deliver small purchases as fast as humanly possible, faster even than sending out a driver who must then deal with traffic, lights, and the lay of the roads. After all, vans can’t travel as the crow—or drone—flies.
It’s not just speed, though. If overall vehicular traffic can be reduced, the benefits will be significant. Congestion will be reduced, as will emissions. The environment can thank Bezos later.
Of course, it’s not just Amazon joining the drone party. Once Bezos announced his intentions, others took note and started making their own moves. Among at least 10 companies with plans to utilize drone technology, two notables are FedEx and UPS. The same benefits will accrue to them.
It’s not hard to imagine where this is all going. DoorDash and Uber Eats could just as easily use drones, especially if there aren’t liquids involved in the delivery. I could run outside to the fountain to wait for my lunch to be delivered. Plus, I won’t have to tip the drone.
Pharmacies could also benefit, along with the people relying on meds. Instead of having to venture out, or, once again, have a delivery driver, prescriptions could be whisked to their recipients. I doubt any of those parcels would come close to five pounds.
The low-level airspace is going to rapidly fill up in the years ahead. I hope that the drones to come have radar of some kind to keep there from being mid-air collisions. Given time, I’m sure this will all be figured out. It may be longer than sooner, though, just as Bezos found out.
But in the end, speed really does matter.
Dr “Mine Drone Business“ Gerlich
